Baby Protection Plan
by WritePassion
Summary: Fiona is having a really bad day when she nearly stumbles over a baby carrier left on her doorstep. Whose baby is it, and why did they pick Fiona to watch over her?
1. Chapter 1

**Baby Protection Plan**

By WritePassion

The day wasn't starting out very well for Fiona. Her alarm didn't go off, she stubbed her toe on a corner rushing to the bathroom to get ready, and she broke the handle off her hairbrush. Good thing she had a backup. The handle on her favorite coffee cup broke after filling it with coffee and putting it up to her lips, sending it crashing down to the marble countertop to completely shatter and spray a fountain of hot brew all over her white top and the kitchen. On top of it all, she was PMS'ing. _God help anyone who crosses me today!_

After a quick change and a soak of her shirt in detergent in the bathroom sink, and a good wiping down of the kitchen, she was even later getting out the door, but she was in a slightly better mood because she avoided any more disasters. Her phone rang.

"Hello, Michael. I'm on my way. I just had a few...mishaps...while I was getting ready."

"Okay. Sam and I are here, but our client hasn't shown yet, so I guess just get here as soon as you can. But there's no need to break any traffic laws. Got it?"

"Oh Michael, you're no fun!" She teased as she picked up her keys and purse from the dining room table and headed for the door. "I'm leaving now, I'll see you in..." She stepped outside and nearly stumbled over a baby carrier sitting right in front of her door. Tires squealed, and she saw an older vehicle's back end disappear down the alley.

"Fi. Is everything okay?" Over the phone line, he heard the noise. Then he heard crying, a high pitched wailing. "Fi! Is everything okay?"

Inside, her emotions were a jumble, but she coolly said, "Michael, someone just left a baby on my doorstep."

"Fi, just stay there with the kid. We'll be over after this meeting."

"It's probably just as well. He...or she...won't stop crying! I'll talk to you later." She closed the connection, put away her phone, and looked around for anyone who may have left the child. She didn't see anyone. With a heavy sigh, and not sure what else to do, she picked up the carrier. _Whoever did this, the least they could have done was leave some diapers, bottles, and such!_ Before going inside she glanced down in hopes of finding a diaper bag full of supplies, but there was nothing other than the baby and the carrier. She shook her head. _The people who did this don't deserve this wee little one! As God is my witness, when I find them, they're going to wish they'd never gotten pregnant to begin with!_

Fiona always wished for a child of her own, and it broke her heart that someone could be so blessed and just throw a helpless little child away so brazenly. She and Michael had been on again, off again for so many years. They were currently on again, and she'd been hoping that some day he would propose, they'd get married, and have kids. The time to do it was now. But he dug in his heels and never made any overtures. She didn't know how long she would have custody of the baby, but maybe it would be long enough for her to show Michael what a good mother she would make. She looked down at the face scrunched up and wet with tears and smiled reassuringly.

"I've got my work cut out for me, don't I? Don't you worry, little one, you're in good hands." Fiona set the carrier on the table and figured out how to unclip the seatbelt. Then she reached in, cradled her hands under the baby's arms, and picked her up. She'd been covered by a blanket, and once it was removed, Fiona saw she wore a cute pink ensemble with shorts and a t-shirt that said 'Mommy Loves Me'. Fiona snorted. "If she did, she certainly wouldn't have laid you at my door. She would have kept you."

The baby continued to cry. She tried rocking and bouncing her. Then her shorts were soaked through, and the wetness transferred to Fiona's shirt. She glanced down, then into the little girl's blue eyes. "Oh, you're a naughty one! Now what are we going to do?" Her eyes widened. "I have an idea." She smiled at her and carried the baby into the bathroom.

Working quickly, Fiona removed the old diaper that was completely soaked. With a warm washcloth, she cleaned her up, powdered her with some talc she happened to have in her closet, and used a small towel doubled up and folded around her to create a new diaper. She didn't have any safety pins, so she improvised with a couple of cheap brooches from her jewelry box. Once the makeshift diaper was affixed, she said, "Look at you, sweetie! You'll be the best dressed lass on the block!" She couldn't help but laugh at her handiwork. "Now, how to make you waterproof?" She bit her bottom lip as she looked around. "Aha! I've got it!"

Fiona didn't realize how much time she spent outfitting the baby with a new diaper. At least she stopped crying, and she seemed to be quite content to snuggle with Fiona on the couch. Michael and Sam knocked on her door, and with the baby in her arms, Fiona hurried to unlock it and let them inside.

Michael entered, his eyes on the sandy blonde haired baby girl clinging to Fiona's shirt. "Someone really did leave a baby on your doorstep."

She looked at him as if he were crazy. "Well of course, Michael! Did you think I'd make up something like that?"

"Hey, she's cute," Sam said as he reached around Michael and tickled her under the chin. The baby giggled and ducked her head into Fiona's shoulder. Then she squealed happily, turned and looked at him, and she repeated the action when he did it again. Sam laughed with her. "She's a little heartbreaker with those big eyes and that adorable smile."

"I could have used you as a distraction earlier," Fiona said to Sam as she repositioned the baby on her hip. "She was wet and crying, and whoever left her abandoned her with nothing."

It was then that the two men looked down at the olive green towel covering the baby's bottom. "Fi, what is that?"

Sam elbowed him. "It's a jury-rigged diaper, Mike."

"I see that, but...plastic wrap and duct tape? What's that for?"

"I didn't want her peeing through the towel on me. She did that once already with the diaper!"

Sam gave her a thumbs up. "I think it's pretty clever. Good job, Fi."

"Thank you, Sam! At least someone appreciates my ingenuity, besides the baby!"

"Well, what are we going to do about this," Michael asked no one in particular. "Fi, was there anything in the carrier that might indicate who she belongs to?"

"No, there was nothing but the baby." She moved to the dining room with them and showed them the carrier.

Michael and Sam pored over it, finding nothing under the fabric cover or on the carrier itself. "Well, I guess we better call Social Services to pick her up. Mike?"

"Huh? Yeah, that's probably the best thing to do." He answered as his eyes fixated on Fiona and the baby. The child seemed at ease with her, babbling and pressing her hand to Fiona's lips as she acted silly to entertain the baby. It was cute, and it gave him a glimpse of something he could have if only...

"Mike. Mike!"

"What?"

Sam studied his friend and the distracted look on his face. "I tried getting through to them but I'm on hold. We should probably try later."

"Yeah, that's a good idea. Keep trying, Sam."

"And in the meantime, what do we do with this kid?" Sam gestured toward the little girl.

"She can stay here with me," Fiona answered passionately. "But we need to get her the basics, at the very least." She picked up her purse and gestured at the car seat with her chin. "Michael, could you please get that for me?"

"Uh, Fi, I may not know a lot about babies, but that car seat isn't going to work in your car," Michael warned her and she turned to him.

"Why not?" Between the emotions she held for this unfortunate child and dealing with the PMS, she didn't mean to snap at him, but she did.

Sam replied, helping out his friend. "It's missing the base. You can't just belt the kid into the car without it."

"He's right, Fi. Just stay here with the baby, and we'll go shopping for what she needs." He had no clue what to buy, and when he looked at Sam, Michael knew he was at a loss as well. But somehow, they would do this. They'd had far more complex missions before. How hard could it be, really?


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"First thing we need to do is find one of those baby outfitter stores," Michael said as he and Sam left Fiona's apartment. "Then we go in, just get the bare-bones stuff, and we're out."

"I like it. In and out, works for me." He and Michael glanced at each other, wondering what they'd gotten themselves into. But maybe, if they looked at it like a commando raid, it wouldn't be so bad. As long as they had the intel they needed, this would be a piece of cake because they only had to worry about shoppers. Nobody with guns trying to mow them down.

They walked into the super-sized baby outfitter store and suffered immediate visual overload. No matter where they looked, they saw baby furniture, strollers, high chairs, cribs, clothes, toys, diapers, and all sorts of things stacked from the floor to a very high ceiling. Just about every aisle had at least one mother and child pair or mother and children populating it, and not a single man. They felt as if they'd just encroached upon enemy territory, but no one looked twice at them.

Sam found a kiosk with a touch screen computer near the entrance. Stacks of brochures and shopping lists compartmentalized by ages were tucked into a rack beside it. "Hey Mike, check this out." He picked up one of the lists and showed it to him. "Right there, everything we need."

"We need all of this?" Michael's finger slid down the sheet of paper. "This'll cost a fortune!"

"Well, maybe we can skip some of it." He pulled a pen from the kiosk emblazoned with the store's name and studied the list. "We can avoid all this furniture and just improvise. Car seat, need it. Diapers, bottles, diaper bag, need 'em." He quickly scanned the list, circling items as he went down.

"And how do you know that's correct? You don't have any kids, Sam. You've never done this before."

"No, but...well...I dated a woman once who had a toddler. That was a long time ago, but I still kind of remember what it was like having him around."

Michael sighed and shook his head as he took another copy of the sheet. Finding a saleswoman nearby, he approached her wearing a smile. "Hi, maybe you can help us. We need to know what on this list we absolutely need for a baby."

"Okay," she said and gave Michael a friendly smile. "Is this your first child?"

"Oh, no no no, this isn't for mine. It's uh...it's..."

"Oh, then is it for yours, sir?" She glanced at Sam, and he shook his head.

"Long story." This whole thing was crazy and so overwhelming, it took all Michael's training to keep his cool. "Let's just say we have temporary custody of a baby about three to six months old. What would we definitely need to take care of her?"

The clerk continued to smile at them, but they sensed that once they were out of her sight, she would laugh herself silly. "No problem. Here, let me circle the things you shouldn't be without." She quickly ran down the list and marked half of the things on it. "I would also recommend some of these." She put brackets on her recommendations, marking three-quarters of the items. "There you go! If you need anything else, just let me know. My name is Linda, I'm the manager."

"Thank you, Linda." Michael took the list from her, skimmed it, and noticed that she circled more things than Sam did. He turned to his friend. "We better get a cart."

"I'm on it!"

Michael noticed that the carts were not only bigger, but deeper than any he'd ever navigated around a store. Not even a home improvement store's could compare. Sam kept the list, compared it to his, and between the two of them they decided to stick with Sam's list, with a few exceptions. Not knowing where things were, they walked up and down each aisle searching for the circled items. As he put each one into the cart, Sam checked it off and wrote the price down next to the item.

"Preparing for the sticker shock?" Michael asked wryly as he noted the numbers all over the sheet.

"Yeah. How much cash did you bring?"

Michael took another glance at the list. "I think I'll have enough."

"I've got a couple hundred on me," Sam spoke softly. "We should have asked Fi to chip in before we left."

"Do you still have that credit card the last lady friend gave you?"

"Yeah, but the last time I tried it, it was declined, so I just keep it in my wallet for defeating an easy lock."

Michael shook his head. "Never mind. Just keep writing down those figures and if we don't have enough, we'll just have to not buy some stuff." They turned in to the next aisle and he stopped the cart, staring down the length of it. "Okay, here's the most important thing we need: diapers."

"Don't these things come in sizes?" Sam took a step forward and examined the first package that caught his eye. "Ah, they're sized by age and weight. Only we don't know how old she is or how much she weighs. This could be tough."

"Let's just find the cheapest ones first, then figure out the rest," Michael replied, gearing himself up for the challenge. He pushed the cart to the end of the aisle, scanning the prices on the shelves, until he found the lowest priced diapers. There he also found a woman with a baby in a carrier strapped to her front. He couldn't help but eye the contraption, as he'd never seen anything like it before.

The woman felt his eyes on her, turned and asked, "Is there something wrong?"

"No, uh, I was just looking at...at your baby. How old is he?"

Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Why do you want to know?" Her hand unconsciously cradled her son's back as she stared at Michael more intently.

He laughed nervously and gave her a smile. "It's okay. I, I mean, some friends and I, are watching a little girl for awhile. We don't know how old she is, but she's about the size of your son."

The look on her face turned even more disturbed. Sam came up beside him, and she backed up a step. "So, what do you want?"

"I just want to know what size diapers he wears so we can get some for the girl."

"Six to nine months." She grabbed a package and shoved it at him, then grabbed another and hurried away.

"Jeez Mike, what'd ya do? She looked like she thought you were gonna steal her baby or something!"

"Nothing! I just wanted to ask her a question, because her kid looked about the same size as the one we have." He handled the package and looked at the size. "She said these were the ones to get." He tossed the package into the cart and they moved on.

"Woah, almost forgot the baby wipes," Sam said as he grabbed a container on the end of the aisle. He wrote down the price and quickly checked the list. "We're just about done."

"Good. Fi's probably wondering why it's taking us so long." He couldn't wait to get out of there. Michael kept an eye out for the woman, not wanting to spook her any more than he had, but she didn't cross their paths again. He also kept an eye on Sam's list and mentally added up the numbers. _If this is how much it costs to have a baby, it's probably a good thing we don't have one. I didn't realize they were so high maintenance, for such simple little beings. Maybe when Fi sees the bill, she'll think twice. It's just too much, too much for us to handle on so many levels!_

They met their most challenging task when they reached the clothing section. The little girl clothes were just too cute, and Sam had at least six outfits selected before Michael could consider two of them. Sam caught Michael's disapproving stare and asked, "What?"

"That's too many."

"Are you kidding? Babies go through at least two outfits a day!" He held up another outfit, a frilly yellow dress made of yellow and white polka dotted fabric with flowers embroidered on the front, and considered it.

"But how long are we going to have this kid? Just a couple days, maybe three, since it's a weekend coming up." He snatched all the clothes from Sam's hands and hung them back onto the rack. "That's what a washing machine is for. We'll take three..."

"Four..." Sam picked up three from the bunch Michael discarded. "You can pick out something for her, too."

"Okay, four." Michael gave in as he dropped a sundress into the cart. "That's it."

"Okay, fine." Sam tossed his choices on top of the growing pile. "And she'll need at least one sleeper." He held up two in his other hand.

Michael leaned his forearms on the cart handle. _If he picks up one more thing, I swear I'm going to go insane. _ With gritted teeth, he asked, "Is that it off the list?" _It had better be! I can't take any more of this!_

Sam ran his index finger down the paper and noticed a few things that they missed. However, when he snuck a glance at his friend's face, he decided that it was better to go without, rather than have Mike blow his cool in the store. If they were spending his money, he'd probably feel the same way considering that it wasn't his kid.

"Yeah, that's it. Let me quick add this up and see where we're at."

While Sam calculated the cost, Michael dropped into a glider rocker and rubbed his forehead to proactively get rid of the headache he was sure to develop when Sam came up with a final figure. _Hey, this is kind of nice!_ He pushed himself into a soothing glide as his hands ran over the smooth surface of the arm rests, and he could feel the tension melting away. _Maybe we should get one of these._ Then he saw the price tag, and his feet stopped the motion as he paled.

"Okay, good news Mikey, it's not as bad as we feared. The grand total with the tax should be...three hundred twenty eight dollars and some odd cents."

"That's not bad? I hate to think what it would have been with all those things the manager recommended." Michael stood and pushed the cart toward the checkout counter. "Let's get out of here before we blow any more money."

Feeling for his friend's financial shock, Sam kicked in fifty bucks. "Here you go, Mike. For the cause."

"Thanks, Sam."

"Don't mention it. Maybe when we get to Fi's you can milk her for the lion's share if she intends to take care of this kid until Social Services can pick her up. Which reminds me, I should try again before we go and buy all this stuff and it turns out to be for nothing."

The relief on Michael's face was evident. "Good idea!"

Sam hit the speed dial, and it again relayed him to a recording. "Great, this time I got an answering machine or something. What do people do if they have an emergency?"

"Call the cops, I'd suspect, and let Social Services sort it out later."

"Probably right."

They moved into a checkout aisle. Sam helped him put everything on the counter, except for the car seat box. That was big enough that the clerk was able to scan it from where it sat. As the bags filled with new merchandise, Sam stuffed them in and around the box. By the time they emerged from the store into the stifling heat and the humidity that kicked up a few notches thanks to a short afternoon thunderstorm, Michael looked like he was ready for a nap. They put everything into the trunk and returned to Fi's apartment.

Fiona would have felt like a new mom at a baby shower as she opened the bags and examined the contents, but she was too intent on looking for two things in particular. "Michael, Sam, where are the bottles and the formula?" The baby cried in the carrier on the floor.

"Bottles we've got," Sam answered as he pulled out a set from one bag. He glanced at Mike. "We forgot formula."

"I can't believe it. What about cereal? Or baby food?"

"Whoops." Michael cringed.

"Whoops? Whoops? This poor child is starving, Michael, and all you can say 'whoops'?" She let out what could only be described as a growl with a sigh.

"Now Fi, don't get excited. You got any instant oatmeal?" Sam headed for the kitchen.

"Yes, I do. In that cupboard." She pointed to the one where a box of envelopes with different flavors sat on the shelf. She went back to the baby, picked her up, and tried to soothe her with whispers.

"Thanks." He rifled through them quickly, looking for plain. All the while, the baby's cries intensified and the sound grated on their nerves. He pulled a bowl from another cupboard, put some water in it, and shoved it into the microwave. As he waited for it to heat, he asked, "Do you have a coffee grinder?"

"A...yes, right there." She looked at him strangely, not sure why he wanted coffee at a time like this, when it was so important to get the baby fed.

Sam hastily wiped out the grinder, put the oatmeal in it, and ground it up so it was fine. Just in time, the microwave beeped, he pulled the bowl out onto the counter, and dumped the oatmeal in it. He stirred, added a little cold water to cool it down somewhat, and handed it to Fi. "Baby dinner is served."

"Thank you, Sam." She eyed him with cool admiration for thinking of something like that. She would have just cooked the oatmeal and been done with it.

Michael stood with arms crossed, his brow creased, a look of doubt on his face. "Are you sure that's okay for her? Maybe she's too young for solid food."

"Right now, it's all we've got. If she doesn't accept it, then I'll make an emergency run to the store," Sam said as he watched.

Fiona sat at the table with the baby on her lap and tried using a teaspoon to feed her the cereal. "Oh, this it too big! She won't take it!"

"We bought a spoon, I know we did," Sam said.

Michael pawed through the bags. "Yeah, I remember seeing one. Here it is!" He quickly pulled it off the cardboard and washed it, then gave it to Fiona.

Feeding went a lot smoother afterwards. When the decibel level lowered, so did everyone's blood pressure. Sam volunteered to go to the market and get some baby food and formula. As he walked out the door, Michael said, "Hey Sam, pick up something for us while you're gone!"

"Yeah, sure thing, Mike." By the time he returned, the baby was fed, covered with a real diaper and a new outfit, and Fi wore a t-shirt. Not knowing what to get for baby food, he came in bearing a bag full of small jars and plastic containers, a box of baby oatmeal, formula, and juice, and in his other hand, a pizza. "Fi, you changed."

"She spit up on me."

"Oh, sorry."

"No worries. They do that." She smiled and took the bag from him. Her smile widened when she pulled out a magazine. "What's this for?"

"They had an article in it about caring for a new baby. Thought it might come in handy for you. For all of us, if we're going to help out."

Fiona glanced at Michael, her eyes lighting up with her smile. She leaned against the counter and thumbed through the magazine. "That's sweet of you, Sam. Michael hasn't said anything about helping."

Michael stood and approached her, holding the baby in his arms as she slept after her meal. He spoke softly, his eyes on Fiona. "If this isn't helping, I don't know what is."

Sam watched Michael as he brought the sleeping baby over to them. Rarely would he have ever thought his friend was cute, but the look on his face, showing a mix of wonder, fear, and concern about dropping the baby, was precious. If Mike wasn't careful and Fiona picked up on it, he would find himself being pressured into starting a family. Fi had been cranky all day, but the baby seemed to soothe her, and her protectiveness was admirable and endearing. Yes, if they ever had their own, Sam was confident that they would make good parents. Once they got over the initial fright.

"I think it's safe to put her in her carrier to sleep," Fiona spoke softly as she took the baby and laid her in it and set it on the floor. She covered her with a blanket. Her hand lingered over the soft skin on the baby's arm. "I can't believe how sweet she is. So soft. How could anyone let her go?" She looked up at them, blinking back tears.

"I don't know, Fi." Michael felt a tug at his heart upon seeing the anguish in her eyes.

"I wish we at least knew her name." Fiona rocked the carrier before standing. "It's hard not knowing at least that much."

"After we eat, Sam, can you run a check on all the babies that have been born in the Miami area three to six months ago?"

"Mike, that's a lot of babies! All we're gonna get are names. Even if we knew her birthdate, there would still be a lot to go through."

Michael looked down at the sleeping child with growing frustration. There had to be a way to find the parents without involving the police! He wanted to locate them and find out why they abandoned her. While the idea of having his own offspring scared the life out of him sometimes, he still couldn't help but care about a little girl with no name and no family, left on a stranger's doorstep carelessly. Lucky for her it was Fiona's doorstep. What if it had been a child molester, or an abuser? The thought brought back bad memories of his own childhood, and he was again grateful that she wound up at Fiona's place.

"Sam, just do it, and then we'll see if we can narrow things down."

After dinner Sam set up his laptop on the dining room table and went to work. The records were easy to find, and he created a printout of them. Then he came up with an idea. Knowing what little they had on the girl just by observing her behavior and ability to eat the oatmeal, Sam did some research on child development. While he worked, Fiona and Michael spent time with the baby when she woke from her nap. Fiona found something for her to play with, and Michael watched from his perch on the couch as she and the baby played on the floor. _She's a natural at this, but me...I wouldn't know the first thing about entertaining a baby and playing with it! _Fiona got the baby to roll from her back to her stomach, and he stared in fascination as she pulled herself up onto her arms and tried to crawl.The baby giggled and gurgled ecstatically. When she was dry and fed, she was a very happy baby. After awhile, he tired of watching them and went to see how Sam was doing. He'd been far too quiet for too long.

"Any luck?" He leaned over his friend's shoulder and stared at the screen.

"Well, I've got good news and bad news. Bad news, between three and six months ago, there were over three hundred live births in the area hospitals. The good news is, I was able to shave off some time on our projections of her age. Considering what she's able to do, she should be around five or six months old, so really we've cut off two months." He tapped on some keys. "If we take that into account, that brings down the number of potentials, minus the male births, of course, it goes down to...sixty five possible hits."

"And that's good news?"

"Well, compared to over three hundred, I'd say so." Sam shrugged.

Michael leaned on the edge of the table and studied the data on the screen. "Do the hospitals keep record of footprints or handprints?"

The corner of Sam's mouth tipped up. "I think you're onto something there, Mike. We just need to get a print off her, and my buddy can run it through the system." He turned and watched Fiona on the floor with the baby. She had just gotten a bottle, a burping, and a change in that order. Fiona dressed her in one of the sleepers, and they were riveted on the tenderness she showed as she talked to the baby, smiled at her, and played with her hands and feet.

Sam let out a soft sigh. "You owe it to her, Mike."

"What? What do I owe her? Who? The baby? Fi?"

Sam turned his gaze to his friend, looking deeply into his eyes. "I know you're not that stupid." He stretched and straightened in his chair, then stood. "I need to get myself some coffee, unless we're all done here. If that's the case, then I'm going home to bed."

"Yeah, we'll be fine, Sam. Thanks for your help."

"You're welcome." His eyes gravitated back to the baby. "Get me those prints and tomorrow I'll check with my buddy, see what we can find." He packed up his computer. "Hey, what are we going to do about that client we talked with today?"

"Oh, him. When you were at the store, I called him up and said we couldn't really help." He paused when he saw the look on Sam's face. "Come on, Sam, you know it was a case for the police anyway! And besides, we've got another client right now." While talking with him, Michael moved over to Fiona and the baby, crouched, and lightly touched his fingertips to the baby's chest. She looked up at him with her big eyes and smiled.

_Jane Doe. _

_ Client._

"Okay, I understand. I'll see you tomorrow, right here?"

"Yeah, Sam. See you tomorrow."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Michael hadn't slept this good in a long time. He couldn't even remember when he last had a restful night without nightmares and disturbing dreams. For months he worried about Fiona in prison and worked toward taking down Anson so she could be free again. How many sleepless nights had he endured during that time? Too many to count. And then, when she was back in his arms, she decided it was best for her to move out, to take time to reassess their relationship. He hadn't expected that, which led to more anxiety filled nights. _What was there to reassess? I love her, doesn't she know that? What happened changed things. I see now what I'd been doing, and I'm working on being the man she needs me to be. _He was surprised when she let him crash at her place last night, but he took advantage of it, even if she only shared her bed and not her body with him.

He heard screaming. It increased in volume, and it tapped on his nerves, forcing him to awaken. He sat up abruptly, looked to his right, and saw the bed was empty. Then he realized that the screams were coming from the living area. His ears honed in on the cries as they lessened, sounding far away. His breathing evened out and his heartbeat slowed when heard Fiona's voice singing some little Irish ditty he heard mothers sing to their children when he was in Ireland.

_The baby. Ohhhh, how could I have forgotten?_ He ran a hand through his hair and scrambled out of bed, grabbing his clothes and dressing so he at least had pants on when he went out to the main room. He found Fiona with the baby, feeding her a bottle as she walked about the room humming that little tune. He watched from the hall, just out of sight. Rays of morning sunlight streaming through the slightly opened blinds bathed the two in its brightness. Fiona looked stunning in a simple top and jeans, glowing with the joy of motherhood, even if it was only for pretend, and only for a little while. This dry run gave her a taste of what it was like, and there would be no going back after this. Whether the baby stayed another day or a lifetime, Fiona had been bitten by the mom bug. And he knew it was a force that would be difficult, if not impossible, to resist.

But things were complicated in their relationship. After the shock of almost losing her, and then having her return from prison, Michael only wanted to hold her and never let her go. Fiona had other plans, so they went back to the beginning. It wasn't easy for him to simply date, but if that was what it would take to prove himself to her, he would do it. If it meant taking care of a baby that wasn't hers or his, so be it. His desire for her was shameless, and he would do anything to convince her of his love.

She caught him watching them and smiled. "Good morning, Michael. Did you sleep well?"

His smile stretched into a grin. "Too well. I forgot where I was at first."

A faint blush painted her cheeks and she returned her attention to the baby. _So, she liked that I was here. That's encouraging._

"Will you two be okay for a little bit? I've got to run back to the loft and get changed."

"Maybe you should bring along a few days' worth? We don't know how long you'll need to be around to help protect her."

"Sure, Fi. I can do that." Michael couldn't get the rest of his clothes on fast enough, and he was still pushing his feet into his shoes as he headed for the door. Her invitation may have been only for the baby's sake, but there was more to it than that. He was certain of it. They'd known each other for far too long to not pick up on the subtleties of their emotional dancing. He kissed her cheek before leaving. "I'll be right back. Keep everything locked up."

"I will. Be careful." She smiled at him and kissed him on the lips briefly. The warmth of it propelled him out the door. He had to be careful that he didn't let the afterglow distract him and make him miss a tail or someone watching the place. But there was no one. He returned to the loft, showered and changed, and packed a bag, returning to Fiona's in under an hour. She had a smile and breakfast waiting when she unlocked the door to let him inside.

After breakfast, Sam arrived with his arms full of stuff. Michael let him in and caught a zippered case before it crashed through the plate glass window on Fi's front door. "Sam, what is all this?"

"Just a few things I picked up." He dropped the rest on the floor. "One of my neighbors has a kid who's outgrown all this stuff, and she's not having any more, so she said I could borrow it. When we're done, we can give it back, and then she'll probably sell it all at a yard sale or something."

"So what is all this?"

Sam picked up the zippered case. "This is a portable crib, so Baby won't need to sleep in the car seat. This is a small stroller, which is another thing we didn't get. A booster seat kind of thing with a tray, instead of a high chair, and a bag of toys. She's got nothing to play with right now."

"Wow. Thanks, Sam." He was impressed with his friend's thoughtfulness. For someone who had no experience with babies, he seemed to be learning fast.

"No problem, Mike. Oh yeah, and this bag has a bunch of girl's clothes in it. Some really cute stuff, barely worn. She put six months in there, and nine months, just in case she starts growing out of the six month stuff."

"She won't be around long enough..." Michael cut himself off. "If we find the parents, she won't be here for too long."

Fiona grabbed the bag of clothes. "Thank you, Sam. I'm sure this will all come in handy." She took the baby with her to the couch and sorted through the outfits, finding something just right for her to wear.

"Uh oh, looks like Fi is bent on keeping her, at least for awhile," Sam muttered to Michael.

"Not if you can get these prints to match." He slipped a couple of index cards to Sam. "I took those last night after Fi went to bed." He paused and watched her interact with the baby. "I understand, I think. But it's for her own good that we find out who this little girl is and who her parents are. The longer we delay, the harder it's going to be for Fi to let go."

Sam could tell by the look in Michael's eyes that the pain of loss was not something he wanted her to have to bear, but bear it she eventually must, and somehow he would help her deal with it. He nodded. "I'll scan these and e-mail 'em to my buddy. He's expecting them." He set up his computer and a portable scanner, ran the foot and hand prints through, and sent them off. "Hopefully he'll get back to us today with what he finds. Is there, uh, anything else I can do to help?"

"Not really, Sam. I think we're just going to hang out here and wait for an answer."

"Okay. I'll take off then. I'm meeting my new lady friend for a late breakfast." He winked at Michael. "If I hear anything, I'll let you know."

"We really appreciate what you're doing. We probably won't make any money off of this one, but..."

"It's okay. Sometimes it's more important to help a little kid find her way home." He packed up his computer and headed for the door. "Oh, I almost forgot. I was monitoring police bands to see if there were any reports of a missing baby, or any Amber Alerts out there. Nothing. Absolutely nothing, Mike. That's weird."

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"If you're thinking that maybe the parents were killed or are missing, then yeah, we're on the same page, brother."

"When you're not with your lady friend, monitor chatter and see if you pick up anything."

"Will do." He turned toward the door and shot over his shoulder. "We are only meeting for breakfast, Mike. She already knows I'm working a case and that I'm focused on it. And she's okay with that, especially when she heard it involved a baby." He chuckled. "I'm tellin' ya, Mike, women are suckers for kids."

_So am I, Sam. So am I._

Sam left, and Michael and Fiona were alone with the baby. He wasn't sure what to do next, but he soon found himself immersed in the world of a helpless little baby and Fiona's new routine. He tried to keep his distance. After all, he knew next to nothing about babies and children, yet his heart always melted for them if they were in trouble. With Fiona's assistance, Michael learned how to experience life with a little one, and he again foolishly gave part of his heart away to another woman. After this assignment, he knew there was only one outcome if he wanted to keep Fiona. He'd nearly lost her too many times already. He couldn't bear to do it again.

Sam called in the middle of the afternoon while the baby took a nap and Fiona snoozed on the bed. The portable crib was set up on her side of the room, not more than three feet from Fi's side of the bed.

"Yeah, Sam."

"Hey daddy...I mean, Mikey." He chuckled. "How's it going?"

"Fine if you like being spit up on. Although, she is kind of cute when she giggles. It almost makes up for the baby puke." He paused as he used a napkin to dab at some of the remnants on his shirt. "You didn't call to hear about my adventures in grossness. What's up?"

"I've got lots of news, and I'm on the way over there."

"Okay, looking forward to hearing what you've got."

A few minutes later, Sam arrived with a thin file folder. "My buddy ran those prints against the hospital records, and we have a match. Her name is Kira Beth Rollins. Her parents are Andrea and Kyle Rollins. I have an address on them, and I went over there. Looks like either they're really bad housekeepers or there was a home invasion. I'm betting on the home invasion."

Michael glanced at the information in the file. "So why haven't the cops been called on it?"

"You know a couple weeks ago we had that hurricane watch? Well, lots of people boarded up their homes and took off, and apparently the Rollins family was among them. The neighbors figured they'd be back any day now." He paused. "But the windows are still boarded up."

"Do they have relatives somewhere?"

"One of the neighbors said there were some in-laws in Tennessee."

Michael heard a noise and saw Fiona standing in the hall, listening to them. He turned his attention back to Sam. "Were you able to get into the house?"

"Yeah. Like I said, it was really messed up. I took some time searching it, just in case there were, um, bodies. But there was no sign of foul play or trauma or anything. Either they were taken without being injured, or they were never there and somebody just went through the house looking for something to indicate where they were."

"Great." Michael lightly slapped the breakfast bar. "Guess we need to find out who these relatives are, and if they've seen Andrea or Kyle Rollins lately."

"I was going to work on that this afternoon." Sam pulled something from his pocket and handed it to Michael. "I did find one thing. This business card for The Harding Group. It's a product development company. They're on the up and up, but there have been some allegations about them stealing secrets from other companies. Specifically companies with defense contracts. I don't know what that has to do with this family, but maybe these guys wanted something from them and things got ugly."

"Then how did the baby...Kira... wind up here?" Michael asked. "And of all the places in Miami they could have dropped her off, why here?"

"Haven't got a clue, Mike. I think we need to find the couple and question them to get those answers."

Michael looked back and saw Fiona bouncing Kira on her hip, listening to their conversation. "Sam, let's go outside. I wanna talk about something. We'll be right back, Fi."

Sam and Michael went out to the small fenced in area in front of Fiona's door. "What's up?"

"I think, given the fact that there's an element of danger here for this child..." He let out a small breath and glanced up at the trees, a hand massaging the back of his neck. He returned his attention to Sam as he continued. "I really hate to do this, considering how attached Fi is getting to her, but...I think we need to keep Kira in our custody. She was dumped here abruptly, without any diapers or food, which tells me that something is wrong. Maybe the parents left her here because they were in danger and were desperate. If that's the case, whoever is after them will be monitoring Social Services, if they have the resources to do so."

"I get what you're saying. The second Kira shows up in their system, they might try to grab her and use her as leverage."

"Exactly."

Sam glanced toward the window and saw Fiona looking through it at them with Kira in her arms. "For Fi's sake, I'm not thrilled with the idea, but it's the safest thing for the kid. Okay, I'm gonna go do some more digging, see what I can find on these parents." He sighed. "I just hope this doesn't require a trip up to Tennessee."

"We'll try to avoid that." Michael turned the business card over in his hand. "I'll check out The Harding Group. What do you know about them?"

"They're a multi-million dollar company, mainly they buy other people's ideas, develop them, and then turn around and sell them to the government. Or should I say, any government that wants to buy them."

"Give me everything you can before I go in there. I want to know what I'm up against."

"You got it. And I'll let you know if I get any more info on Andrea and Kyle."

"In the meantime, I don't want to move the baby unless we have to. It's better to keep her out of sight for now."

Sam nodded. "Later, brother."

Michael got out of the car and approached the high rise in downtown Miami. He glanced up at it and caught a ray of sunlight in his eyes as it glanced off the glass and steel. Somewhere in the building he would find the The Harding Group. When he reached the lobby, he consulted the directory and found it on the tenth floor, and he rode up in the elevator. It opened into a reception area confined by walls of frosted glass. A pretty dark skinned woman monitored the phones behind a large, curved oak barrier.

When the phone stopped ringing, the receptionist looked up at him and smiled. "Welcome to The Harding Group, how can I help you?"

"My name is Chad, Chad West. I represent a company that is interested in developing a..." He grinned. "Well, I'd really like to discuss this with your CEO, if possible. It's very hugh-hush."

The woman smiled wider. "I understand, Mr. West. Please wait while I see if Mr. Harding is available."

"Terrific. Thanks." Michael sat in the waiting area and casually perused a magazine while he checked out the surroundings. As he bided his time, a few people entered the offices using the door behind the reception area. They all had key cards to get inside.

"Mr. West, Mr. Harding will see you now."

Michael looked up to see a well dressed woman standing with the glass door to the offices open. She led him inside to Harding's office, asked if he wanted any coffee, and he said, "Thanks, but no. I'll only be here a little while." She nodded and returned to her desk.

A graying man wearing a tailored gray suit moved away from the windows and turned to face Michael when he entered the room. He smiled, held out his hand, and introduced himself. "Mr. West, I'm Tryg Harding. I own The Harding Group. I understand you have something we might be interested in."

"Yes, I do. But before we get down to business, I want to know a little more about your company." He sat in the chair Harding offered and set his briefcase on the floor, and as he sat upright he planted a bug underneath the desk top. "What happens if we agree to sell you our design? Do we receive any royalties or extra compensation?"

"It would depend upon the agreement that's written up."

"I see. Just curious, how do you find people with...secrets...to sell?" He gave Harding a small smile.

Harding smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "We don't solicit secrets. People come to us with designs and projects that have potential, but they don't have the resources to make them happen. We develop them into marketable products."

Michael leaned back in his chair and folded his hands in front of himself. "Did Kyle Rollins offer to sell you something?"

Harding leaned forward in his chair. "I'm sorry, I...I don't know who you're talking about." His face told Michael he was lying.

Michael leaned forward and said, "An associate of mine tells me that he came to your office about a month ago with information on a new product that the company he was working for developed for the Air Force."

Harding's eyes sparked at the revelation. "You would have to speak with my associate about that. I don't deal directly with those who wish to conduct a transaction with our company."

"Great! Why don't you call him or her in and..."

"Ms. Lane has been out of the office for the past few days. She's ill."

"How convenient." Michael muttered. Aloud, he said as he leaned forward and handed Harding a business card, "If there's anything, and I mean anything, that you can tell me about Kyle Rollins and his relationship to your company, give me a call. We have reason to believe that he was attempting to sell something illegally, and if that was the case, I'm sure with a respectable company such as yours you don't want that to blow back on you. It would be best to cooperate with me here."

"I'm sorry, Mr. West. All of our dealings are confidential. I cannot give you any information on who buys and sells with us." Harding shot out of his seat and leaned over his desk. "Get out of my office right now, Mr. West. I won't ask you again."

"Alright. Thank you for your time, anyway, Mr. Harding." Michael leaned over, checked the location of his bug, and grabbed his briefcase. He stood and offered the man his hand. "Have a great day, and please, call me if you change your mind."

Harding didn't budge. "Don't count on it, Mr. West."

Michael waited until he was in the elevator to call Sam. "I rattled the cage at The Harding Group. Harding knows something about Kyle Rollins. When I started asking him about what Rollins tried to sell them, Harding got defensive."

"So you think he's responsible for the Rollins couple's disappearance?"

"I know someone is, whether his people took them, or made them run...I just don't know yet." Michael changed the subject. "Did you find anything more?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary. Kyle has been working as an engineer at Aerocorp for over ten years. He had plenty of exposure to things that other governments would love to get their hands on," Sam replied. Michael heard a shift of papers as he continued. "Andrea is a stay at home mom. Married twelve years, they had an older child, but he died in a car accident last year when he was five. Kira is their second child. It looks like having another baby was causing some emotional and financial strain in their marriage. Probably why he decided to approach Harding, make a little extra cash to pay for the kid's college fund or something."

"Anything else?"

"Not really. I did find out where the relatives are in Tennessee, and I called an aunt. She said she hasn't seen them. No one in their family has seen them since last Christmas."

"Well, I planted a bug in Harding's office, so I think I'll be spending a few hours downtown, grab myself a coffee, and listen in. I'll let you know if I hear anything good."

"I'll keep looking for more on Andrea and Kyle. A buddy of mine at the DMV gave me their license plate number, and that it was registered here in Miami. No traffic tickets, moving violations, nothing. The guy is clean. Trouble is, I don't think he's driving his car."

"What do you mean?"

"Fi said she heard tires squeal and she saw the tail end of an older car that took off from the scene. Didn't get a plate, unfortunately. But this guy's plate is on a Toyota Highlander. It doesn't match the vehicle that was at Fi's."

"Thanks for the info, Sam. It's looking more and more like they're on the run from Harding and his people, and for some reason they picked Fiona's courtyard to leave the baby. They were in a hurry and maybe forgot to leave a diaper bag. See if you can talk to the manager at Fi's property, and maybe they have surveillance tape of that parking lot that you can look at."

"I'm already on my way there. Talk to you later, Mike."

His visit to the office stirred up Harding. By the time Michael got off the phone with Sam and tuned in to the bug's signal, he caught the tail end of a phone conversation. He only heard Harding's side, but the man made an appointment to speak with the person in his office. Michael waited in the coffee shop a block away to listen in on the meeting with a receiver plugged into his ear.

"I'm glad you could make it Gordon."

Gordon's voice was tight as he spoke. "So what's going on, Tryg? You sounded desperate on the phone."

"It's Kyle Rollins. Some guy was in here asking about him. He started with questions about our operation and then launched into asking about what happened with Rollins." He paced the floor. Michael could hear each footstep. "He knows that we had a deal with him!"

"What else?"

"He doesn't know where he is right now."

Gordon sighed. "And neither do we. I've got someone up in Tennessee checking with the relatives. Apparently, someone's already called them."

"What the...great, just great. Now we've gotta find out who this Chad West guy is and stop him, on top of finding Rollins and his family."

"One of my guys found their Highlander at the Miami airport this morning," Gordon said. "We're looking into whether or not they took a flight out and if they did, where they went. We'll find them, it's just a matter of time."

"Gordon, if this deal falls through, I'm a dead man. This whole company goes down with me. Not to mention, if the cops start sticking their noses into our business, then the government..." He trailed off with a heavy sigh.

"You could have done this right, from the start. Look for people who had legitimate claims on inventions and designs..."

"Enough! I don't pay you to be my conscience, Gordon. I pay you to be my muscle. You find Chad West and take care of him before he goes to the cops. Then you finish finding the Rollins couple, take care of them and their family. Make them disappear."

"I had some guys tailing them yesterday. The couple wound up in Coral Gables and stopped at a couple different places. He lost them for a little while and picked up on the trail again, but the baby wasn't with them." He sighed. "Then my guy had to stop for gas, and my team lost them until they located the SUV at the airport lot."

"Oh, can this get any worse? Find them and don't leave any witnesses. You hear me?" Harding fought to control his voice so the clients in the waiting room wouldn't hear him.

"Yeah, boss. I hear ya."

"Good. Now leave me alone, I have to think about how we're going to cover up this whole thing."

Michael left a half cup of cold coffee on the table as he hurried for the car. "Sam."

"What's up, Mike?"

"Where are you right now?"

"I'm on my way to your mom's. Fi was having a little trouble with the baby, so I thought I'd pick up your mom and take her over there to see if she could help."

"My mom?" Michael's voice raised slightly.

"Well, she did have two. I think she's got a lot more experience than the three of us put together." He paused. "I'm almost to your mom's. Are you heading back to Fi's?"

"Yes. And when I get there, we're preparing the baby to move. Harding just found out that Andrea and Kyle were in Coral Gables yesterday, riding around. They must have been looking for the right place to drop off Kira. If Harding's guy finds Fi's place..."

"Yeah. I'll call Maddie and tell her I'm going back to Fi's. See you when you get there."

Sam's car was parked in front of Fiona's place when he arrived. As Michael got out of his car, he searched in vain down the line of parked cars for anything suspicious. He hurried inside and almost tripped over a pile of things sitting on the floor near the door. Sam came out of the bedroom with the portable crib carrier slung over his shoulder.

"Woah, look out there, Mikey!"

"Are you seriously taking all of this along?"

"Unless you intend to come back here with the baby, we have no choice," Fiona said.

Sam dropped the crib onto the floor. "Fi, I've got an idea. Do you have a really big suitcase?"

"Yes."

"Good. We'll pack all this stuff into it, and I'll take it out to the car. If someone's watching, they'll just see some guy who looks like he's going on a trip. I'll come back in like I needed to do something before I left. Then Mike, you and Fi leave the place with the diaper bag and the other car seat, but use the blanket to cover it up."

"If it's the same people who followed the Rollins couple, they'll recognize this carrier." Michael smiled. "Good work, Sam."

"I'll keep watch after you leave, see if anyone follows you, and if they do, I'll call. Then I'll take off with the baby and we'll meet at one of our safe locations after you ditch your tail."

"My mom's house?"

"Yeah. That's probably our best bet," Sam answered.

"Okay, got the bag packed, Fi?"

She struggled with the zipper. "I'm not getting any more in here!"

Sam picked up the handle and hoisted it. "Holy crap, are you trying to give me a wrecked back?" By the time he reached the courtyard door, he had it under control. As Sam opened the trunk, he glanced down the lot and saw a car parked across two spaces. Two men inside were watching, of that he was certain. He threw the suitcase inside, slammed the lid, and returned to the apartment.

"Okay, it's affirmative that someone is at least watching the place. I'm hoping that when you guys leave, he follows. If not, I'll have to figure another way to smuggle Kira out of here."

"Let's hope they follow, then." Michael checked to make sure Fiona was ready. There was no need to ask. All he had to do was look at her, and she nodded. "See you at my mom's house, Sam."

"Good luck, Mike."

"You too."

Fi tossed Sam her keyring. "My front door is the one with the pink nail polish on it."

Sam examined the keys and found it as his eyebrows rose. Her keyring looked more like a polish palette and each one sported a different color. "Interesting way to keep track of 'em, Fi."

He watched through the thin curtains as Fiona strapped the seat into the back and got into the Charger. Michael pulled out, and after a few beats, the silver car followed. Sam called Michael and let him know he definitely had a tail. He waited a few more minutes before he picked up the baby carrier with Kira in it, locked up the apartment, and took her to the car. Just to be on the safe side, he peered around the courtyard door first to make sure no one was around. All the way to the car, he watched, on edge for something to happen. He strapped the seat into the back, got in, and took off. _Just one more precaution. _Sam drove around a little, and once he was satisfied that he didn't have a tail, he turned toward Maddie's house.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Before he hung up from talking with Sam, Michael saw the silver car in the rearview mirror. "Wanna have some fun, Fi?"

She smiled, flipped her hair back and said, "Do you really have to ask?"

"Great." He stopped at a small market, kept the car running, and Fiona went inside. She bought a few more jars of baby food and some snacks, and then returned. Next stop, the hardware store, and she waited while Michael went inside. He emerged with a small bag, and they continued on. For over an hour they made one stop after another, and the tail kept up. Then they turned and went to the Rollins home. Michael parked in front and Fiona hurried to the door. It was still covered with the hurricane shutters. She gestured as if she was mystified, turned, and spied the tail. When she tried to approach them, they took off quickly.

Fiona got into the car and sighed. "Oh, that was over way too quickly. I guess they didn't enjoy our little game."

"Let's get to my mom's house, and hope they don't pick up a different car and follow us," Michael said as Fiona got in and they drove to his mother's house.

Sam was already at Maddie's and had left his car down the street. Michael parked the Charger in the garage, and he and Fiona rushed through the back door into the house. As soon as they entered it they heard the baby crying, and Fiona hurried to Sam's side. He held Kira against his chest, a burp cloth over his shoulder, and he alternated between gentle pats and rubbing her back.

"I can take her, Sam."

"No, it's okay, Fi. You should have heard her a couple minutes ago. I think she's just got an upset tummy, because she threw up in the car on the way here, and she did it again a couple minutes ago, but she's starting to settle down."

"Oh, Sam." Fiona cringed. "She spits up now and again, that's normal."

"No, this was more than just spit up."

"Do you think she's sick?" Creases furrowed Fiona's brow, and she pressed her hand to Kira's forehead.

"It's probably just carsickness. I drove around a little before I came here, just to make sure I didn't have someone on my butt too."

"Where's my mom?"

"I'm right here, Michael." She came down from upstairs with a broad smile and waving her cigarette. "I have the crib all set up in your room."

"Mom...can you do me a favor?"

"Sure, honey. What is it?" She blew out a puff of smoke.

He hated his mother's smoking, and now that they had someone else's baby in the house, he hated it even more. With a controlled voice, he asked, "Could you please not smoke inside while the baby is here?"

"What? Your father and I both smoked when you and Nate were babies, and look at you. You've probably got some of the strongest lungs on the block!"

"Mom, please."

Maddie stared at him, irritated at his demanding her to do something when this was her house. He did have a point, though. Maybe Kira's parents didn't smoke, and they would be upset if she stayed in a place where the air was constantly filled with a thick vapor. After one last large exhalation, Maddie stamped out the cigarette into an overflowing tray.

"Okay, you win. I'll go outside when I want to smoke."

"Thank you, Mom. I really appreciate it." He gently clasped her upper arms and squeezed them. "It'll be good for you. You know it will!"

She pursed her lips and changed the subject. "How's she doing, Sam? She's quiet now, at least." Maddie stepped next to him and brushed Kira's cheek with the back of her hand. "You feeling better, huh, Princess?"

Michael just stared at his mother as she talked baby talk to Kira, and the little girl kept her focus on Maddie while Sam still held her as he unconsciously swayed in one place. His mother was right, she wasn't crying, and she even giggled at a couple of the things that Maddie said.

"Looks like we got over that hump," Sam said. "Why don't I put her down on the floor and she can play with those toys I brought along?"

"That's a great idea! You wanna come here, honey? Gramma Maddie will play with you. Come here, sweetie!" She lifted Kira out of Sam's grip and stole her away to the living room. All the while, the three stared at her. Not even Nate's son brought this much nurturing out of Maddie.

"I wonder if she was ever like that with you," Fiona mused softly so Maddie wouldn't hear.

"I don't think so," Michael responded just as softly.

"I've heard parents change when they have grandkids. Guess now you know what you've got in store if you guys ever get your act together," Sam said as he picked the burp cloth off his shoulder and snapped it at Michael playfully. Michael glared at him. "Hey, she didn't puke on this one! Oh yeah, I've gotta go clean up that car seat. Luckily, she didn't do projectile..."

"Enough, Sam!" Michael held up a hand to stop him.

"Sorry." Sam retreated to the laundry room where he'd left the car seat. A few minutes later the seat cover was in the washer with some of the other dirty baby clothes, and he returned to the dining room. Fiona sat on the living room floor with Maddie, and they played with Kira. Michael sat at the dining room table watching with a strange expression on his face. If Sam didn't know his friend had an aversion to having kids of his own, he'd think it was a look of longing. "So, how did your escape go?"

Michael turned his attention to Sam and gave him the rundown on their adventure in losing the tail car. Sam listened and set up his computer to work on the case. When his friend finished, he gave it his attention.

"I have a theory about the other car that Fi saw leaving the parking lot at her place. After hearing what your guys on the bug said, I got to thinking. Maybe Kyle Rollins drove the Highlander around for awhile, lost the tail, and then stole or borrowed an older car from somewhere so they could find a safe place to hide the baby. Then they went back to the Highlander, drove it to the airport, and boarded a flight." He paused and tapped a few keys. "I did some checking to see if they purchased any tickets out of Miami, but I didn't see their names pop up."

"They could have used aliases, but if they didn't have IDs to match, they'd never get on a plane without being flagged and grilled by the TSA."

"Good point. So I think the most likely scenario is that they obtained another vehicle to throw off their pursuers, dropped the baby off at Fi's because they could hide her in the courtyard, but then they had to beat a hasty retreat, so they didn't leave anything behind but the baby. Maybe they were hoping to return and get her in a short while, but their trackers got hot on their trail and they had to get away."

"It's frustrating not knowing where they are," Michael said as he continued to watch his mother acting silly, and Fiona doing exactly what he would expect of her if they had a child.

"I wish we knew the plate number of that other car. I'm hoping that once I get that surveillance tape from the manager at Fi's place, we can see the plate and trace it. If it was stolen, no doubt the cops will find Kyle and Andrea if they're still using the car."

"We just need to monitor police bands," Michael said. "And hope that we can get to them before the cops. Otherwise, Kira will have two parents in jail for grand theft. And all to save her life."

With Kira safely harbored at his mother's house and Fiona quickly settling into her role as mother in absentia, he and Sam worked to locate the missing couple. Michael used his resources to find out more on Aerocorp and Kyle Rollins' place in the company. He located Kyle's supervisor, and he and Sam intended to approach him at home, but he wasn't there. They located him at a park near his house.

The two carefully closed the distance on a man pushing a little girl on a swing. His profile matched the picture on the records that Sam dug up on his computer. Out of the corner of his eye he saw them and turned with a suspicious look on his face.

"Can I help you?"

"Maybe," Michael replied with a smile. "Are you Rob Lennox?"

The distrust in his eyes deepened. "Who are you?"

"Michael Westen." He showed him his CIA credentials. "This is an associate of mine, Sam Axe."

Relaxing a little, he answered, "Yes, I'm Rob Lennox. What do you want?"

"We're looking for Kyle Rollins." Michael asked, "Have you seen him lately?"

"Kyle." The man's face paled. "He's been missing for a couple days now. He hasn't shown up for work, I've tried calling his home and his cell with no answer, and I'm starting to get worried about him. One more day and he'll be let go..."

Michael held up a hand to stop him. "We know. We're trying to find him."

"We don't think he's safe, wherever he is," Sam added.

"Well, whatever I can do to help, please let me know. He's a good employee, and I'd like to think we've become friends. I just want him okay and back to work."

Michael nodded. "When did you see him last?"

"Wednesday. He seemed kind of, I don't know, nervous, about something. I tried to get him to talk about it, but he said it wasn't anything to worry about." Rob had let the swing settle down, and the little girl protested, so he started pushing her again. "Thursday came and he didn't show up. I called his house and his wife answered. She sounded really distressed, and I heard the baby in the background, but she assured me everything was okay and that Kyle would call me later. He never called."

"So what happened yesterday?"

"I tried calling and that's when I got no answer at the house or the cell. I tried again this morning, and I went over to his house." He swallowed hard and continued. "The house was all boarded up, but the back door looked like somebody used a battering ram on it. Inside was a mess. So I called the cops and now they're looking for them."

"I'll give my buddy a call," Sam said as he walked away.

"Is he in some kind of trouble with the CIA?"

"No, we're just as concerned as you. Someone dropped their daughter off on my girlfriend's doorstep with nothing but a car seat. We think it was Kyle and Andrea. People don't do that for no reason, and we're trying to find out why."

Rob's eyes widened. "Do you think someone is after them?"

"We're not sure." Michael studied the man. "Might there be a reason why someone would be?"

"I don't know. I just assumed when you said they left Kira behind like that..." He shook his head. "It doesn't make any sense unless they were in danger somehow. They adore Kira," Rob said with a softness in his tone and a smile on his face. "Hey, if you need someone to watch her until they're found, my wife and I would be happy to take her. Kira's a real sweetheart!"

"We'll keep that in mind. For now, though, she's safe where she is." By the look on the man's face, Michael knew that Rob would be a cooperative contact, but he would still keep the baby's location secret.

"Oh, okay. Is...is there any way I can contact you in case Kyle calls me?"

"Yes." Michael pulled out a business card. "This is my cell."

Rob reached into his pocket and pulled out a card with his company's logo and his name on it. "Here's my contact info at work and my cell. Please, do whatever you can to find Kyle and Andrea. I don't understand why they would be running. They're good people."

"I can't really get into that right now, but I may need to ask you some more questions later."

Rob nodded vigorously. "Sure, anything you need!"

"Thanks, Rob." Michael gave him a soft reassuring smile and left the man with his daughter. He walked to the edge of the park where Sam stood finishing up a conversation on his phone. "Well, Sam?"

"My buddy looked up the missing persons report on Andrea, Kyle, and Kira. The cops have already found their vehicle at the airport and determined that they didn't go flying off somewhere. So basically they're in the same square we're in, Mike."

"Great."

"He said they have cops over at the house right now checking it out, and he'd let me know if they found anything."

"Is it possible for you to see if Kyle has been using any credit or debit cards the past couple of days?"

"I've already looked into that. If anything came up, I would have told you." Sam leaned against a tree and crossed his arms. "This guy really knows how to go off grid. I'm thinking he must be ex-military, maybe covert ops, intelligence."

"Let's get back to my mom's." Michael looked around as he crossed the street with Sam beside him, constantly wary of a tail. "We'll see how things are going with the baby, and you can check up on Kyle's military records, if he has any."

After a couple hours of digging into government records, Sam wound up with an even bigger picture of who Kyle Rollins was. Over dinner, he filled in the others.

"Kyle Rollins and his wife Andrea are both from Tennessee and grew up in poor families. They got married right out of high school and then he joined the Army. He wound up in Special Forces, did some really hairy covert missions and got captured once, but he obviously made it out. He's got experience in going deep and disappearing, so until he decides it's safe to come back up, there's little chance we'll find him."

"What do we do with Kira until then," Fiona asked as she spooned some baby food into the little girl's open mouth.

Michael watched her eat and said, "We need to keep her safe until the situation with Harding is neutralized." Her arm swung out and swept her sippy cup onto the floor. Without thinking, he picked it up, used a clean section of his napkin to wipe off the top, and set it on the tray.

"The question is, Mike, how are we going to do that? Deflect Harding's attention from Kyle and Andrea and direct it onto us?"

Michael grinned. "Thanks for the suggestion, Sam. That's exactly what we're going to do. We make Harding think that Kyle sold the secrets to us, and that we're willing to give them to him, for a price, of course, and when he appears for a transfer, we nail him."

"Oh yeah, easy peasy."

"Don't worry. I'll take care of this."

"And I'll have your back, brother."

Michael smiled. Every time he heard those words it made him feel good. "Fi, you keep watch over Kira, and if we need to move her on a moment's notice..."

"I know, I'll have an emergency bag packed and ready to go." She nodded. Kira squealed, and she turned her attention back to the baby.

The conversation waned. Maddie started to clear the table, while Michael sat watching Fiona and Kira. Sam noted he had that look again, the one that said his friend was speculating, thinking 'what if'. In a way, he was a little envious. Mike and Fi were still young enough to have one, maybe two if they pushed it. But with his inability to put down roots, and his attraction to women who were past the child bearing years, there was no hope for him. Having this little glimpse into raising a child was entertaining and sweet, but Sam wasn't sure he'd want to immerse himself in it on a daily basis.

He picked up his plate. "You done, Mike?"

"Yeah." He nodded, and Sam took away his plate. Michael turned back to Fi and Kira. The baby was getting full, and Fiona was trying to coax her to finish the couple of spoonfuls left in the jar, but she turned her head and pushed her hands out.

Michael smiled at the scene. Then he reached out, found a clean corner of her bib, and wiped the orange streak the spoon marked on her face. "I think she's done, Fi. Don't force it."

"It's just two bites." Fi responded with a sigh and dropped the spoon into the jar. Then she set it on her plate, which Sam picked up on his second trip into the dining room.

Fiona took the bib off and wiped Kira's face with the back of it. Then, to her surprise, Michael unstrapped her from the chair and picked her up. Kira smiled and gurgled at him, and the sweetest smile appeared on Michael's face. Seeing this made her think that perhaps there was still hope for them to become a family.

"I really wish we could take her out for a walk," Fiona said as she stood.

"It's not safe, Fi. Until Harding is no longer a threat, we can't take a chance on his people seeing us with Kira. Her parents are already in danger. We don't want to risk her life as well."

"I know." Fiona stood near Michael's left side and reached up and played with one of Kira's curls at the back of her head. They were so soft, irresistible to touch. Her hand cupped around the child's head, and the girl leaned forward into Michael's chest. One arm fell over his shoulder.

From the kitchen, Sam snapped a picture with his phone.

After supper, Michael and Sam returned to Fiona's under cover of darkness to retrieve a suitcase full of her clothes and personal items as well as what he brought to her place. Before approaching her door, they made sure that no one was watching. Once they determined the area was safe, they picked up what they came for and visited the manager to get a copy of the parking lot camera tape. They took it back to Maddie's to examine.

"We just need to watch around the time that Kira was dropped off," Michael said as he popped the tape into the VCR. He picked up the remote and fast forwarded to the point prior to the drop.

An older sedan pulled up and stopped almost in front of Fiona's apartment. A woman got out, went into the back and brought out Kira. Then she looked around, hurried to the building, and scanned each entrance to the apartments on the first floor. For a few seconds she was out of camera range, and then she ran to the car, threw herself inside, and the car moved a few feet before stopping again. Then the driver took off abruptly. A couple of seconds later, another vehicle followed, the same one that followed Michael and Fiona.

Michael froze the tape when the license plate came into view. "Sam, can you make that out?"

"Yeah, I caught both cars' plates, and I'll have my buddy run them." He pointed at the frozen shot on the screen. "If this one belongs to someone on Harding's staff, we've got proof that they were being pursued by his men. I just wish we knew where the Rollinses went. Finding the car they used might help."

"The cops are looking for them, and they have a lot more resources than we do." Michael turned off the VCR. "There's not a whole lot we can do now until we hear back on that plate."

"Yeah. I'm going home, and tomorrow I'll let you know what I get." He turned back at the door. "I think we better call Jesse and see if he can help us with this one. Fi's kinda busy." He tilted his head toward the living room where Fiona played with Kira as she changed her and dressed her for bed.

"I'll give him a call tonight."

On the way to his apartment, Sam thought about the hunt for Andrea and Kyle. No doubt the police knew they had a child, and if they were to find the couple without her, there were bound to be questions about what happened to Kira. Sam decided to nip any potential issues in the bud. He called Detective Paxson. It was late, but the woman never seemed to sleep, so he knew she would answer.

"Paxson." She sounded tired.

"Hi, it's Sam Axe. Do you know who's handling the Rollins family disappearance?"

She hesitated, and he imagined she was wondering how he knew about it. "That's still a pretty new case, and it hasn't made the news yet. How do you know about it?"

"Well, Mike and Fi currently have custody of the baby, Kira Rollins," Sam replied. Although their team didn't like the way Paxson dogged them a few years ago, she turned out to be a strong ally when needed.

"What? How did they get their hands on her?"

"It's kind of a long story."

"I have time. Meet me at the coffee shop on 4th."

Sam squelched a reluctant sigh. He was hoping to go home, not stay up any later. "Okay, I'll be there in a few minutes."

Sam ordered decaf and waited for Paxson to show. She threw open the door, saw him sitting near the back, and ordered a coffee. Before she sat, the words were out of her mouth. "How did Westen get his hands on that baby?"

"The Rollinses left her at Fiona's." Paxson looked at him as if she thought he'd gone insane. "We have a tape from the complex manager that proves it. It happened about nine yesterday morning, and we've been trying to find the parents."

"I'd appreciate you giving me whatever information you have."

"Nothing you need to know about." He gave her a thin smile. "Let's just say that Kyle got himself knee-deep into something serious, a possible threat to national security, so the CIA is involved."

"Westen." Paxson smiled without amusement in her eyes. "I swear, Sam, if any of this is important to our case and you don't spill it, you could be in for some big trouble."

"Don't worry. We've got a plan to take the heat off Rollins, and when that happens, hopefully he'll get the word that it's safe to come out of hiding."

"So you think he and his wife weren't kidnapped?" She took a sip of her coffee and studied his reaction to her question.

Sam nodded. "He's got the background to know how to go underground. We hope he'll resurface as soon as we put everything to bed."

She let out a sound of annoyance. "I wish you'd stop talking in circles! Tell me what you know!"

"I can't, and I'm sorry about that. I really am." He looked at her with sincerity in his expression. "If I tell you what we know and you start poking around, it may jeopardize us trying to take down an organization that may be behind the reign of terror on the Rollins family."

"Reign of terror is a pretty good description. Their house was a shambles."

"I know. I saw it before you guys did." He cringed and looked away.

Paxson was even more irritated with him at his revelation. He could see it in the way she leaned forward, planted her forearms on the table, and narrowed her eyes at him. "You better not have contaminated the crime scene!"

"I was very careful. There was one piece of evidence I picked up, but not before I photographed its location, and it'll be turned over to you as soon as we're done. I promise you."

She looked deep into his eyes and knew she could trust him. "Okay, but I'm holding you to it."

"You have my word."

"Now, what about the baby? Social Services..."

"No! The second that Kira gets into their database, these people we're after will know, and then all hell is going to break loose. She's safe where she is right now, and we'll keep it that way until this is all over."

Sam could see that Paxson wasn't happy with that, but she was at a disadvantage because he knew where Kira was and she didn't. And if she pressed for the information, she knew it was more trouble than it was worth to get it out of him. She exhaled and stared at him. "Fine. But if anything happens to that little girl, charges will be filed."

"I wouldn't expect any less from you, Paxson." Sam smiled, then downed the last of his coffee. "Well, I think that about covers it. I'm out of here, and I promise I'll keep you up to date if we find anything that fits into your investigation."

"Gee, thanks." She smirked.

"We're hoping we can wrap things up in a few days. 'Night, Paxson." He walked out to his car, casually surveying the area. It was frighteningly easy to get back into the habit of watching over his shoulder, but not something he wanted to make an every day practice. _I'll be glad when this one is over._


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Michael couldn't sleep. When he closed his eyes, all he could see was Fiona with Kira. He couldn't forget the look of contentment on her face when she held that baby in her arms. She was getting too close, even though she knew better. Every moment that child was awake, either Fi or his mom carried her around or sat and held her, spoiling her with attention. They played and kept her entertained, which was fine, because it kept him from being concerned about their small client. He just wasn't looking forward to the aftermath when she was gone and Fiona's arms would be empty again.

Then he began to think about a future and what it would be like with children in it. She knew it was dangerous. After all, look at the situation that Kyle and Andrea were in, and they weren't even spies! He could't imagine Fiona and himself taking on cases that would put his family in danger, or his going off on a mission that the CIA called him to do, leaving her home alone. Yet he knew this was what she wanted more than anything. If he failed her and didn't give her the desire of her heart, he risked losing her forever. She meant too much to him to let that happen, because he knew that without Fiona, he was only a piece of himself.

He got up and went downstairs when he noticed that both Fiona and Kira were not in bed. She sat in the middle of the couch, and Kira lay to her right sleeping. He watched in the shadows from the one lamp shining across the room as Fiona stroked the little girl's hair.

Fiona heard him breathing and looked up with astonishment. "Michael!"

"Hi, Fi." He smiled and took a seat next to her. "Why are you up?"

"Kira was fussy. I tried feeding her some new food today, and I don't think it agreed with her."

"Food allergy?" He glanced at the sleeping baby with concern on his face.

"Maybe. She only had a little bit. I've been careful about introducing too much to her at one time. I don't know what she'd been eating before..." She let out a breath. "Honestly, Michael, sometimes when I think about how abruptly they left her, it makes me want to scream. No instructions, no supplies... It's criminal."

"Fi, I understand."

"Do you really?"

He could tell that she didn't believe him, so he kept his mouth shut rather than raise her temper even more.

"I've been starting to think that maybe it would be best if these parents are caught and prosecuted, not just for stealing those secrets and the car, but for child abandonment. They should have found someone they knew to leave Kira with. Like that Rob fellow."

"And then those people would also be in danger." He enveloped her in his arms and she readily sank into them. He lightly caressed her back and spoke softly. "I understand your anger, Fi. I don't like it any more than you do. But I'm thankful that she wound up where she did. Just think about that. She's in the best place she could be right now."

"You're right." She pulled back and looked into his eyes. "You're absolutely right. I'm scared, for Kira and her future, for us and our future..."

"What's there to be scared about? I love you, Fi. I'm not letting you go, ever again."

"Can I get that in writing," Fiona asked with a serious tone.

With a slight smile on his face and a sparkle in his eyes, Michael reached out with his index finger and drew an 'x' over her heart. "I promise." Then he lifted his hand to her face, cradled it, and closed the gap between their lips as he kissed her deeply. She melted into him and would have gotten lost in his love, but the baby stirred.

Kira made a soft noise and rolled to her side. Michael broke contact with Fiona and looked down at her. "She can do that?"

"Of course, Michael. She's six months old. She's been creeping around the floor, trying to crawl. She's so close. It's amazing to watch her, how every day she picks up a new skill or develops another one slowly. I'm going to miss that when she's gone."

The baby whimpered, and Michael reached out to touch her shoulder. She twitched at the contact and her thumb popped into her mouth. He smiled at the picture she made. "She must be dreaming." Then he turned to Fiona. "Can she do that?"

"Oh, Michael, you have so much to learn!" She turned out of his grip and picked her up. Kira's eyes opened briefly, but when she settled on Fiona's shoulder she went back to sleep. "I should put her in the crib, and we should get some sleep."

"I couldn't agree more." Michael turned off the lamp and followed her and the baby upstairs. He watched as Fiona lay Kira in the crib, and when she turned around he was there with his hands on her shoulders and his lips waiting for hers. Between kisses, he spoke. "I love you, Fi. And I love what this baby has done to you." He pulled her down onto the bed. "Don't ever forget this time, and don't ever change."

"There's a way to make that happen," she whispered.

"We'll talk about that." But right now, he had more important things on his mind.

* * *

Jesse knocked on the screen door and announced his arrival. "Hey, it's me!"

"Come on in, Jesse," Michael said as he let him inside. "Want something to drink?"

"Maybe later. I just got out of a two-coffee meeting, so I'm running on caffeine right now." He entered the dining room and heard a noise. "Hey, that sounds like a baby."

"It is a baby," Fiona replied with a smile as she brought Kira with her from the living room. "This is Kira. Kira, this is Jesse. He's going to help us take down those big bad men that are after your mommy and daddy." She snuggled the baby in her arms.

"You didn't mention there was a kid involved," Jesse said to Michael, who stood watching the scene. Jesse moved to the dining room table and sat. "I think you all better start at the beginning and tell me what's going on."

Michael sat across from him and explained. "In a nutshell, the baby's father, Kyle Rollins, wanted to sell secrets that he worked on for his employer at Aerocorp. He approached The Harding Group and they were interested. But somewhere along the line, Kyle must have gotten cold feet and reneged on the deal."

Sam suddenly entered through the back door. "It's just me! Hey Jesse, how's it goin'?"

"Michael was just getting me up to speed on this situation."

Sam laid his computer on the table and approached Fiona and the baby. When she saw Sam, Kira let out a squeal and grinned at him, and her hand reached out. "Hey there, sweetie!" He plucked her out of Fiona's arms and gave her a hug, and then took her to the table. She sat on his leg and banged her hands on the surface and babbled.

Jesse smiled at her. "I guess she kind of likes you, huh, Sam?"

"Hey, what can I say? It's the Sam Axe charm." He chuckled. Fiona gave Kira a toy to play with in place of the table top, and then Sam got down to business. "Okay, how far did you get, Mike?"

"To the point where we think Kyle changed his mind about this deal," Michael answered, then continued. "After that Harding's men pursued him and his family. We think they ditched their car at some point, either stole or borrowed another vehicle, and drove around looking for a safe place to leave their daughter."

"Rollins and his wife dropped her off at Fi's apartment and took off," Sam said. "At some point, they parked their vehicle at the airport, but after that, who knows."

Michael continued the briefing. "From what I heard after bugging Harding's office, his men lost them, and they just disappeared. I've been monitoring that bug on and off, but there's nothing new. Harding is ready to go ballistic if they don't find him soon. He's afraid that the cops will find him first and he'll spill what he knows about The Harding Group's seamier side."

"So what do we do about the couple?"

Michael shrugged. "Not much we can do, Jesse. He's probably dug in somewhere until they stop pursuing him or..."

"Or we take Harding down," Jesse finished. "I got it. How do you propose to do that?"

"We make him an offer. I'll tell Harding that Kyle sold the secrets to me because he didn't want to deal directly anymore. I'll set up a time and a place for the exchange, and we make sure the cops are around to arrest him." Michael turned to Sam. "Did you talk to Paxson?"

"Yeah, I met with her this morning. I gave her that plate number, the one on the car Kyle was driving, as well as the one from Harding's men. She's promised that they'll put an APB on Kyle's car, but if they find him, they'll treat this with extreme care. The other guys, not so much." He smiled.

"Good. What did she say about support for a meet?"

Sam's smile grew. "Mike, her department has been trying to get something on Harding for a long time. He's been a bad boy, and buying and selling government secrets is just the tip of the iceberg. She was only too happy to offer us whatever assistance we needed. Of course, she would have rather taken over the whole operation herself, but with the CIA involvement, it was kind of out of her hands."

"Perfect. No doubt a few cop snipers would come in handy," Jesse said.

"That's what I'm thinking." Sam agreed. He looked at Michael. "Where are we going to do this?"

"I need to meet with Harding again, let him know what I've got. Otherwise, I won't be able to convince him that I'm serious." Michael's fingers tapped on the dining room table. "Sam, is there a way to find out what Kyle was working on and get some copied files? I know you were able to find out it was something for the Air Force, but unless we know exactly what it is, I don't think I can sell Harding on the fact that I have it." He paused and grinned. "Even though I don't have it."

"I can go see his boss, Rob Lennox, and see if he can give up something that's not exactly classified, but legit enough to make this appear real."

"Okay, Sam. Go for it. In the meantime, Jesse, can you hang around here?"

"I'm free all day." Jesse said as he spread his hands out wide. "I wouldn't be dressed like this otherwise." He wore jeans and a casual shirt.

Michael smiled. "Great. Let's pick some areas and go scout them out, figure out which ones would be good for having this meeting."

"Alright, sounds good."

"Sam, when you get the info, bring it back here and I'll give Harding a call. See if we can lure him in."

"You got it." He picked up Kira, who all that time sat quietly on Sam's lap playing with a little stuffed dog. He gave her a kiss on the cheek and handed her to Maddie. "Time for me to go, Princess. You be a good girl!"

"She's the best baby I've ever sat with," Maddie said, her cheeks reddening as she glanced at Michael. Then she grinned and patted his cheek, adding, "Except for you, honey."

He looked up into her eyes. "Mom, don't BS me. You know Nate and I were probably the worst babies on the planet!"

"No, just when you got older." Her eyes crinkled as she bounced Kira and took her to the kitchen. "Come on, honey, let's get you a snack!" Fiona was already in the kitchen preparing a small bowl of cereal for her.

"You set yourself up for that one, Mikey," Sam said as he left the room. "See you later!"

Sam called Rob Lennox on his way to Aerocorp, and he was only too happy to see the man helping to find his star employee. When he arrived, Rob waited in the lobby with a badge for him to wear and he signed himself in.

"Come on, Sam, I want to show you Kyle's work area. Maybe there's something that will help your investigation."

He led Sam past the smiling receptionist across a wide open area and down a long hallway that was all glass on the left side, giving them a view of the parking lot and a large parklike setting. To the right were a series of closed doors with windows beside them that were closed off by blinds.

"What's the status on Kyle's job, since he hasn't called in," Sam asked. "At least, I'm assuming he hasn't called in."

"Actually, I want to talk to you about that, later. But as far as his employment, management has decided that Kyle is too valuable to lose, so they're keeping him on for the time being." Rob looked uneasy. "However, if it's true that he conspired to steal this project, I'm afraid they'll have no choice but to fire him and take action."

"Prosecute, you mean."

"Yes." Sadness filled Rob's eyes, and he shook his head slowly. "I still can't believe that he wanted to do something so stupid. He's a smart guy!"

"Until he comes out of the dark, we'll never know why he wanted to do it. We're just concerned with getting Harding off his back, and creating conditions that will encourage him to come out. After that, we'll leave it up to the police to sort things."

"We'd rather not get the police involved, Sam. We don't want negative publicity." Rob stopped in front of a door. This one was different than most of the others. Instead of a key lock, it had a fingerprint reader.

"I understand that, but they can't help but get involved. There's a stolen car factored in, and right now they're trying to find it. If they do, and Kyle is still in possession of it, they'll arrest him. So I guess no matter how this goes down, he's in trouble and Aerocorp gets a black eye."

Rob breathed out. "I really wish things would have been different." He pressed his finger to the pad and the door unlocked. "This is Kyle's office, and it leads to the lab. I'm afraid I can't take you there, but maybe you'll find enough in his office that you can use." He stepped aside and let Sam in, closed the door behind them, and sat in a chair near the door. "I'll have to stay here, of course, while you look around."

"I expected that." Sam moved around the desk and sat in Kyle's chair.

The office wasn't very large, and the l-shaped oversized desk with a credenza behind it and three chairs were crammed inside leaving very little walking room. A couple of file cabinets stood in one corner. The desk top was covered with paperwork, files, and small parts. A computer and a few family photographs sat to the left of Sam's elbow. He picked up one of the parts and asked, "Are any of these pieces related to the Air Force project?"

"No, they're not. That's something else Kyle is working on, it's farther down the pipe."

Sam nodded. He set the part back where he found it and flipped open files and scanned them. "Can you tell me if this project had a name?"

Rob hesitated, and Sam looked up at him. The man grasped the arm rests and answered, "It's called Project Condor. I, uh, I really can't tell you much more. I really shouldn't even have let you in here, but...I don't know what else to do. We want Kyle back safe and sound."

He went back to studying the papers on Kyle's desk, but now and then Sam took a quick glance toward Rob. The man seemed nervous. Perhaps he was allowing Sam access that wasn't approved by his superiors, and he was afraid of being sucked into whatever web caught Kyle and made him try to sell this technology.

"Okay, I think I found something." Sam picked up a sheet of paper from within a folder. "Can I use this?"

Rob took the paper and scanned it quickly. "These are Kyle's preliminary notes on the project. It's changed so much since these were made, so I suppose you could use it as proof without really giving anything away."

"Okay." He pushed the chair back from the desk and spun around to turn on the small copier machine on the end of the credenza. Next to it was a door. "Is that the way to the lab?"

"Yes, but like I said, you can't go in there. My superiors would...well, I can't afford to lose my job, Sam. I have five kids to feed, private school tuition, a mortgage, you know. It's tight enough as it is."

Alarm bells went off in Sam's head, but he kept his expression even. He made a couple of copies of the paper and returned it to the folder. Slipping the copies into his shirt pocket, he said, "Thanks, Rob. You've been a big help."

"You're welcome, Sam. If there's anything else you need, just let me know." He led Sam back to the lobby. Under his breath, he added, "Although I hope you got all you needed from that office, because I took a big risk letting you in there today."

"Don't worry. I've got what I needed." Sam left the building, and he was surprised to find Rob following him. He turned and asked, "Is there something else?"

"Yeah. I didn't want to talk about it in there. I...I got a phone call from Kyle last night at home."

"Really? What'd he say?"

"Of course, he asked if I'd heard anything about the baby, and I told him that she's in good hands." A small smile wiped away the unease on Rob's face. "I also told him that there were people looking into the situation and that they were working to take down Harding. He said he would call in a couple of days to get an update."

"Was he calling from a cell phone?"

"No, he left his cell behind at the house. He said he was calling from a pay phone, but he wouldn't say where he was."

"Okay, thanks. At least we sort of have a line to him. I'll let you know when we're ready to pull this off, and hopefully we'll have it all cleaned up by the next time he calls. Then he can come out of hiding."

"This isn't going to end well for him, is it."

Sam shook his head. "Not with the stolen car, but if that's the worst thing he gets charged with, maybe it won't be so bad. We'll just have to wait and see."

"Thanks, Sam." Rob turned and walked quickly back to the building, his hands shoved into his pockets, bent over and watching his own footsteps.

_You're just too easy, Rob. I know you're involved in this somehow._

Sam returned to Maddie's and delivered the notes to Michael. "This was all I could get, Mike. Rob was pretty nervous about me getting that, but I think it should be enough to convince Harding we've got what he wants."

"Thanks, Sam. I'll make the call and get things set up with Harding." He left the room and went outside.

Jesse was in the sun room with Fiona and Maddie. Fiona sat in a half reclined position in her chair, and a sweet little bundle of baby dressed in a cute yellow sundress and diaper cover lay over her. He was about to greet them but he just held up a hand when he saw the child was sleeping on her stomach, her little fist curled up near her mouth.

"Isn't she cute," Maddie asked with a big smile.

"Yes, she is," Sam replied softly. As he stared at her, he thought about her parents and the trouble her father was in. All he could think about was a little girl growing up without her daddy, and it tore at his heart. He could relate to that kind of life, and he hoped that she would never have to experience it herself.

"We just wore her out playing with her," Fiona said with a soft voice. "She's starting to crawl around, and that's a lot of work."

"If she's here any longer, I'll have to baby proof the house!"

"Yeah." Sam couldn't say any more. As nice as it was for them to have Kira around, the reality was that she would have to go home soon. It was better if he didn't encourage their thoughts of her staying longer.

Jesse got out of his seat and headed for the kitchen. Sam followed. "How'd things go at Aerocorp?"

"I found something that Mike thinks he can use. I sure hope he can, because Rob got real squirrelly about me taking something that could be sensitive information." He opened the fridge, pulled out a container of iced tea, and poured them each a glass. "And he said something, Jesse. Something that got my suspicions up."

"What was it?"

"He said he couldn't afford to lose his job because he had five kids, and basically he's living a lifestyle that requires a lot of money. I don't think Kyle was in on this alone. I think Rob either put him up to it to make him the fall guy, or he and Kyle worked on this deal together. My gut is telling me that Rob set him up to take the blame."

"Ah, so maybe things are tightening up, and he got nervous about keeping his family in the lap of luxury, so he sold a secret here and there."

"I think this is the first time he's done it, Jesse. He was far too nervous about it. If he'd done it successfully before and gotten away with it, he would have had a cooler head."

"Okay, but how are you going to prove it?"

Sam left the kitchen and opened his computer. "Let my fingers do the walking. I'll see what I can come up with on Rob Lennox."

When Michael entered the house he found Sam typing at his computer and Jesse taking notes on what appeared on the screen. Judging by the way they worked and how fast Sam's fingers flew over the keyboard, they found something good.

"What's up, Sam? Jesse?"

Sam looked up at Michael, sighed, and rested his chin on his fist. "Our buddy Rob isn't as innocent as we thought. Sit down, and we'll fill you in."

Michael sat to Sam's left and leaned forward, his arms on the table. "So?"

"Rob Lennox has a big family, two nice cars, a big house and he's drowning in debt. Sounds like a recipe for stealing from the company," Sam said. "To make matters worse, I found some information on Aerocorp. They're not doing so well, even with the government contracts. There's talk about downsizing, so I'm thinking that Rob is trying to get what he can out of the company before he gets the axe."

"But do you have anything to back this up?"

"No definitive proof yet. If we had more time, I'd suggest doing some surveillance on the guy, but we've got a date with Harding, don't we?"

"He wants to meet with me to see what I have, and then we'll go from there," Michael replied. "We're meeting tomorrow at the coffee house where I listened to the bug."

"Want me to monitor the meet," Sam asked.

"Yes. Jesse, track Rob Lennox."

"Will do." He glanced at his watch. "I'll go get ready for a long night sitting in the car."

After Jesse left, Sam said, "He makes it sound so glamorous, doesn't he?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Sam stayed late discussing the locations that they would consider for the final meet. It all came down to what Harding felt most comfortable with, but they analyzed each one for its strengths and weaknesses. When they were confident they covered everything and decided which one Michael would try to steer him towards, Sam went home. Kira was already in her crib sleeping, Maddie was also asleep, and it was just Michael and Fiona awake sitting on the couch. She snuggled into him and put her arms around his waist, and he put his arm around her shoulders. Neither of them spoke for a long time as they sat half in darkness, because they both knew that the events of the past week brought to the forefront a subject that should have been broached a long time ago. And neither one knew how to begin.

"Fi, we need to talk about this. The baby, Kira, will probably be going home soon."

"I know." She looked up at him, fighting the wetness forming in her eyes. "Michael, I tried just making it about a job, to protect and care for Kira, but she was too easy to fall in love with." She ended the sentence with a tender smile. "She's a good baby, and I know they're not all like that, but I know now that I can do this. I can be a mother." She paused. "I want to be a mother."

"I'm worried," Michael blurted without calculating his words. "Just think about it, Fi. Right now we're protecting a stranger's child from harm, but when it's our own, how often will you need to go into hiding with him or her to keep them from being kidnapped or hurt, or maybe even killed? You know what my life is like! Remember when Management removed its protection? Just think what that would have been like with a child. It's risky enough for the two of us."

"Then maybe it's time to live less dangerously. Perhaps it's time to settle down, Michael, and try to live a normal life."

A sound came out of him. "Like I even know what 'normal' is! Do you, Fi?"

She shrugged. "We'd have to make some friends who are normal and learn from them."

"Somehow I have this feeling we wouldn't like it."

Fiona pushed him away. "Michael, don't pooh-pooh it until we try!"

_Maybe I don't really want to try. What if I like things the way they are now?_ But Michael knew that eventually things would have to change. He couldn't keep doing this forever. Whenever he tried to picture the future, it came out murky as if a thick fog guarded it from his eyes. He just always assumed Fiona would be there, but her temporary loss shook him to the core. When she regained her freedom, he was amazed at how quickly he went back to status quo. It wasn't right. There were no more excuses to be had. He knew what he wanted, and it was Fiona. He would never lose her again if he had any say in it.

Michael tightened his grip around her shoulders and pulled her into his lap. She moved and settled in, her eyes never leaving his, searching for the reason for this action. He dipped his head and kissed her, holding her where she sat, and she quickly responded to him. He pulled away before the kiss deepened and their passion ran away with them.

"Fi, I love you. So many times I thought you and I would be better off without each other. Then when it happened, I realized it wasn't true. I need you, Fi. I'll always need you. If you feel the same, say yes, and I'll marry you."

She looked up at him with a tender smile and spoke softly. "Yes."

Michael smiled at her and he felt a relieved laughter bubble up from inside. He kissed her again, holding her, feeling the bonds of commitment tighten around them. It was confining and freeing, confusing yet a pleasant sensation at the same time.

Kira cried, breaking the spell. Fiona chuckled under her breath. "We better get used to this, Michael, for when it's our turn." She stood, kissed his lips one more time, and hurried upstairs to check on the baby.

Yes, that was something he would have to adjust to. He had a feeling there were a lot of other things in the near future that would challenge them, but together, they could overcome. With the friends he and Fi had, no doubt his mom, Sam and Jesse would be there to support them in whatever they did. He and Fi, Sam, and Jesse would still be a team, but in a different way. It would just mean being more selective about the cases they took on, avoiding anything that might create a safety issue if he had a family. His main concern, however, was his relationship with the CIA. Just how much would they expect from him? Speculating only brought worry, and he was too tired to deal with that now. Other issues took precedence for the time being, like getting some sleep.

Jesse had been watching Rob Lennox for hours. He tailed him from the time he left Aerocorp until he arrived home. Then he went inside and came out not long after with his entire family. Everyone barely fit into the wife's minivan, and they took off. Jesse kept a comfortable distance. He endured a trip to a fast food restaurant.

"Man, what I wouldn't give for a burger right now," Jesse muttered as he watched them go inside. _It would make it easier to keep an eye on them if I went in. But then, it might be easier for them to lose me, and then I'd have to answer to Mike. Nope, I'll just stay here, smell that fryer grease, and just...wish._

A half hour later the family piled back into the minivan and Rob drove them to a ball diamond. Two of the older kids launched out of the van in matching uniforms. Rob opened the back, the kids grabbed bats and gloves, and ran toward the dugout. Jesse found a parking space that hid him from Lennox's sight and gave him a good view of the entrance.

_Oh yeah, now I get to sit here for a couple hours. Good thing I got a hot date tomorrow to make up for this. What a way to spend a Friday night. Could have gone out to dinner, and dancing... _ His stomach growled, and he glanced over at the snacks he supplied himself with before going on this assignment. None of it looked good.

After the game, Rob drove his family home and parked the van in the garage. The door went down, closing them off from Jesse's sight. Lights went on in the house, and from his vantage point in the dark he watched a typical family going through typical evening preparations for bed. Jesse yawned. _Anyone who says they enjoy stake outs is just plain crazy. Wonder if I can sit here thinking of all the ways I hate 'em? At least it might keep me from getting bored._ The lights went out one by one, until the house was completely dark except for a lamp in what he assumed was a bedroom. It stayed on for quite awhile, then went out. Now was the time to act.

Jesse stayed in the shadows until he reached Rob's car, planted a tracker underneath the back bumper, and returned to his vehicle. _Just a little insurance policy in case I lose him._ Not long after, Rob left the house through the front. Jesse sat up as the man carefully closed the door, trying to be as quiet as possible. Rob got into his car and drove away. Jesse gave him enough space to avoid arousing his suspicions.

When Jesse discovered where Rob was going, he called Michael. "Michael, it's me, Jesse."

"Yeah, Jesse." He could tell from the gravelly voice that he'd awakened him.

"Our guy Rob is on the move. He went to Aerocorp and just got into the building. He's heading for Kyle's office."

"Keep an eye on him."

"He just went into the office. What do you wanna bet he's going to get those files that contain what Harding wants? That'll throw a wrench in our plan."

"No doubt. We'll just have to intercept him and get those files." Michael sounded a lot more awake now. "Keep following him, let me know where he goes, and I'll call Sam."

"No problem." Jesse hung up and waited for Rob to emerge from the building.

Sam's phone rang, waking him from a really great dream. Only it wasn't a dream, it was real. He lay with his new lady love in his arms, burrowed under the covers after a passion-filled evening. It took all his strength to break away from her, roll over, and pick up the phone. Throwing it across the room would have been tempting, but he knew it was not an option.

"Yeah, Mike," he answered softly, trying not to wake her.

"Sam, Lennox is at Aerocorp. Jesse said he went right for Kyle's office, and as soon as he gets out, he'll tail him. He's probably going to meet Harding on his own."

"Great. Okay...I'll be on my way in a bit. Just give me a call and let me know where he's going." Sam carefully disengaged himself from her and dragged himself out of bed. She moaned and rolled over, but didn't awaken. _Good. No sense in bothering her._ He quickly put on his clothes and left a short note on the kitchen counter before running out the door. He was in his car, starting it up when Michael called again.

"He's heading for Pelican Harbor Park."

"Okay, that's promising. With three vehicles, we can block the entrance so there's no way out."

Michael added, "If we go in without headlights, it will make us a little less visible."

"Not the best plan, but we're kind of limited," Sam said as he drove north to the bridge that would take him to the park. "I'll see you and Jesse there in about ten minutes. Do we want backup?"

"It's already been taken care of, Sam."

"Perfect. See you there." Traffic was almost non-existent after two in the morning, which made it easy to get to his destination. At the light, Sam saw Jesse and Michael's cars opposite him. When the light turned green, they pulled even in the middle of the intersection.

"Jesse is blocking that entrance back there, and you and I will block this one over here." Michael inclined his head toward the one at their intersection. Sam nodded. He turned his car around and followed him into the lane going the wrong way and parked at an angle. Their front bumpers almost touched, completely closing off both lanes and part of the side of the road in the green space. They got out and met Jesse there. Two cars sat in the lot, but no one was in either vehicle.

"They're probably over there," Jesse spoke softly and pointed toward a stand of trees and bushes.

"Sam, you go around that way. We'll give you a couple minutes to get into position and then we'll come around from the left. If you see anything, let us know."

"You got it." Sam hurried along the street side of the greenery and scouted a good place to go in without making a lot of noise. Except for the gentle lapping of waves against the shoreline, there was no masking sound.

Michael and Jesse took a few steps closer, and when Sam disappeared into the vegetation, they made their move. Side by side with guns drawn they ran for the clearing.

"I see them," Sam whispered over his commlink.

"Okay, let's do this," Michael replied and quickened his pace.

He and Jesse came around to the area sheltered by the trees and large bushes and palmettos. Two men stood in the shadows, and they turned at the sight of them. Michael and Jesse had guns drawn, but that didn't stop Harding from pulling one of his own. Rob, caught in the middle, cowered and moved to the side. Michael noticed something silver flash in the light from the street lamp, and he realized that the transaction had already gone down.

"You're too late, West. Mr. Lennox has already sold the plans to me."

"I see. And thank you for clarifying that, because now the police will have something solid against you. Your own confession."

Harding grinned. "Really. And why would they believe you over me?"

"It certainly helps if a member of the Miami PD heard it. Not to mention that you're holding the evidence in your hand," Sam said as he emerged from behind Harding with Detective Paxson. Both held guns on him. Seeing he was outmanned and outgunned, Harding dropped the gun. "Good boy. Now the folder."

Harding had no choice. As soon as he dropped his weapon and the manila folder, officers swarmed around, pulled his hands behind his back, and cuffed him. Another officer grabbed Rob and arrested him. Both men were quickly removed from the scene, the evidence bagged and tagged, and only Paxson remained with the trio.

She looked up at Michael and said, "You know, Westen, I'm actually kind of disappointed."

"Why do you say that?"

She stood with one fist on her hip. "Well, no gunfire, no pyrotechnics...it was a pretty lame collar if you ask me."

Michael grinned. "Hey, we don't always need C-4 to end a case. Do we, guys?"

"No, but you gotta admit, it does make it more dramatic," Jesse replied.

"Thanks for your help on this one, Westen. I can assure you, buying government secrets aside, we can now start pinning a lot of things on this guy. Good thing for him he's got a lot of money. He's going to need it, and even then I doubt he'll see freedom any time soon."

"Thank you, Detective. But we still need to track down Kyle and his wife."

"Hopefully he'll see the news report in the morning and know it's safe to go home. That is, if he's innocent."

"If Rollins had something to do with this, he might hunker down deeper," Michael said as he speculated aloud.

"We'll find out soon enough, once we start leaning on Rob Lennox." She said as she started walking back to her car. "I don't think it will take much for him to start talking."

"He's got too much to lose to not talk." Sam said. "Cop a plea deal and his family gets to keep him around for awhile. Depending, of course, on what the government decides to charge him with."

"He's definitely dug himself a hole," Paxson said with a shake of her head. "Sometimes it still amazes me what people will do even with so much at stake."

"There's one other thing." Sam asked, "What about Harding's dogs? Who's gonna call them off?"

"Not a problem. We're rounding all of them up too, on charges from extortion to murder." Paxson looked quite pleased with herself as she stood underneath a street light. "If I were you guys, I'd get that baby back to Fiona's. No doubt the Rollins couple will be looking for her there when they come out from hiding."

"We'll wait until morning," Michael said.

"We'll have an unmarked unit nearby watching, just in case."

Michael was about to say that they had things covered, but he decided to accept her olive branch. He didn't want to ruin the rapport she had with Sam, because every now and then she proved useful to them. Like tonight. With Fiona taking care of the baby they were down one team member. They could have handled things just fine without Fi, but having the detective swoop in with her team made the whole operation go a lot smoother. Yes it was anti-climactic, but nobody got hurt. It was a good night.

The three men walked back to their cars. "So, tomorrow bright and early, back to Fi's?" Sam asked as he pulled out his keys.

"Are you volunteering to help move?"

Sam chuckled. "Actually, I have other plans."

"Hey, don't look at me, Mike. I've got a date."

"In the morning." Michael looked at him sideways.

"Yeah, we're going fishing on a charter boat. I need to be up in a couple hours to get ready."

"Hey, Jesse, just a little tip," Sam said, "Go easy on the cologne. It scares away the fish."

"Oh yeah, I suppose you'd know about that." Jesse shook his head and broke away. "I'll see you guys later."

Sam ignored the jab, knowing the spirit in which it was intended. "Yeah, I'll see you later, Mike. I'm going back to Gina's."

"Her name's Gina," Michael said with a nod. "Have a good night, Sam. See you tomorrow at Carlito's?"

"Sure. I'll be there!"

Sam walked away to his car, and Michael noted a couple of cruisers still were on the scene parked along the curve. Because of Jesse's parking maneuver, they weren't able to get in without running over the grass and creating a ruckus that would have put a damper on their surprise. Michael moved his car out of the way and sat at the light, waiting for it to turn. Sam was behind him, but when the light changed, he turned right. _She must be another one of those rich women living in Miami Beach. I wonder if we'll ever get to meet this lady friend, or if she'll be like all the others, except for Veronica. Yeah, there was something different about her. Maybe some day he'll find another woman that he's not ashamed to bring around to meet us. Then we'll know it's serious!_

He had something serious himself, and the thought of Fiona warmed his heart. He looked forward to getting back to his mother's house. He half expected Fiona to be awake and waiting for him with a disappointed look that he left without taking her along. He missed her on this job, but if she wanted to have kids, she would also need to get used to the fact that she couldn't come along and help all the time. Change was definitely coming. But were they ready for it?

_NOTE: This is not the end. There's more coming soon!_


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

The news hit the airwaves the next day. Fiona moved back to her apartment with Kira, and although there was no reason for Michael to guard her, he remained with the two. His main motive was that he wanted to see if he had what it took to be a father. He was already convinced that Fiona would make a great mother, but he was completely unsure of himself. His dad was a terrible role model. Because Michael always strived to be the best he could be, he wanted to learn just how to master fatherhood. He didn't want to just work to pay the bills and throw a ball around now and then with the kids. Like everything else, if he was going to do it, he was all in.

Until Kira's parents returned for her, and as long as the CIA left him alone, he had time to immerse himself in Baby 101. "Fi."

"Yes, Michael?" She was finishing up giving Kira her breakfast.

He smiled self-consciously. "This is going to sound crazy."

"Really? Try me." She knew, by the way he looked at Kira, that it had something to do with the baby.

"I...I want to learn everything you know about taking care of a baby."

Her face couldn't have lit up any brighter if he'd told her he was buying her a new automatic sniper rifle on the black market. "That's fantastic! Michael, I'm so proud of you!"

"Yeah, well, don't be too excited. I just want to get an idea for what this is like. That's all."

Her smile didn't diminish at the words he used to mask the depth of his insecurity. "We can start with changing. Come on." She picked up Kira from the booster chair and carried her into the spare bedroom. Using the top of an unused dresser, a piece of plywood, and some vinyl covered foam rubber, she had created a changing area. "This is really quite simple." She showed him what to do, from removing the diaper and cleaning up, to affixing the tapes on the new diaper. "Granted, it's not as...fancy...as the one I made with a towel, but at least these don't require duct tape." She grinned.

"I wish I'd gotten a picture of that, Fi. That was classic." He laughed. "So, when do I get to try this?"

"I never thought I'd see you eager to change a diaper. Next time. Until then, just watch what I do." Fiona put an outfit on Kira and took her into the living room, and she sat her on the floor. "She's old enough to sit on her own, and she seems to like it better than laying flat on the floor. If I do that, she always turns herself over and wants to get moving."

As she spoke, Michael watched Kira lean forward for a toy, but then it was if she just realized that she was in prime position to get on her knees and crawl. She shifted herself until she was able to move toward Michael with a big grin on her face.

"Here, make her go for this," Fiona said as she handed Michael a toy. "Sit down over there and have her come to you. That seems to be her favorite toy, so maybe she'll go to you and get it."

"Are you sure? This seems like we're training a dog or something."

"Oh, Michael, don't be ridiculous! She loves this! Trust me."

"Okay." He sat on the floor about four feet away from Fiona and Kira. He held up the toy and jiggled it in the air, making it rattle. That got her attention, and she picked up one hand, twisted to her left, and put it down on the area rug. "You want this, Kira? Come here, and you can have it." He spoke to her in a normal voice, because he couldn't get himself to talk to her like his mother and Fiona did. He absolutely drew the line at baby talk!

It didn't seem to matter to Kira. She slowly moved forward. Michael could see that such a simple thing was still difficult for her, but in time she would develop the strength and coordination to do it almost effortlessly. Then she would try to walk. It boggled his mind how much she had to learn. He saw how thrilling it could be to watch his own child go through these stages, to cheer on and praise him or her when conquering another skill. He had a lot of time to ponder this as Kira approached him. She lightly slapped her hand on his crossed legs as she made it to the finish line, and he looked down at her with a smile and gave her the toy. She reached out for it and lost her balance, but he quickly grabbed her and sat her in his lap.

"That was amazing. Good job, Kira."

Fiona watched the emotions play across his face as he watched Kira crawl across the short distance. It pleased her to see him in awe of this little child. She knew his past and that his father showed little interest in his sons unless he used them as a punching bag. Michael didn't want to be his father, and somehow in his mind avoiding marriage prevented that from happening, and hiding behind his job kept him safe from experiencing the joys of a family. She'd never met Frank Westen, but Fiona knew that Michael was not the same man as his father. He never would be, because he had too much of his mother's good heart in him.

So she watched and smiled. _This is it, Michael. This is our future, and I just know you're going to be a terrific dad. If you show a stranger's child this much care, just think of how you'll treat ours! _Aloud, she said, "Now that the danger is passed, why don't we take Kira for a walk? Let's use that cute little stroller Sam brought."

"Okay. It'll be nice for her to get outside. Why don't we take her down to the beach?" He picked Kira up and lifted her so she was eye to eye with him. "How about that? Have you ever played in the sand? I bet you'll love it!" He remembered how his mom used to take him and Nate to the beach to get them away from his father and his drunken tempers. He never told her he was grateful for those times.

Fiona cringed. "I just hope she doesn't try to eat it. She's been putting everything into her mouth lately."

"We'll make sure that doesn't happen, won't we?" He lowered her so her nose nearly touched his, and she giggled. He raised her up quickly, which startled her a little, and then lowered her again, making her laugh. A blob of drool dripped right on his nose, and it was only through self-discipline that he didn't drop her. "Oh, Fi." He sat the baby on the floor and used the tissue that Fiona offered him to wipe off his nose. "That was gross."

Fiona laughed, and Kira fussed. "Oh, now you've done it. She loves that game!"

"What hanging over people and spitting on them?"

Fiona got up, shaking her head and grinning at him. "I'll get a bag ready, and then I'm going to change into a suit."

Once Fiona was ready and the stroller and supplies set, she dressed Kira in a hot pink swimsuit adorned with butterflies that she found in the clothing Sam's neighbor provided. Michael didn't bring a suit, so on the way to the beach he drove them to the loft so he could do a quick change. Before they hit the sand, they took Kira for a walk on the paved path that meandered along the beachfront.

Fiona watched the reactions from passersby as she and Michael walked with Kira in the stroller. The little girl was a cutie, and she hoped that they could have a child just as adorable. Michael pushed the stroller, and Fiona walked close beside him, amazed that he wordlessly volunteered to push it. She didn't think he would. She assumed that he would think it not very manly to push a stroller that had such a girly decor, but he didn't bat an eyelash at it. Kira squealed in delight at the people and the sights, banging her hand on the tray as if asking Michael to go faster.

"Hey, isn't that Sam over there?" Fiona snaked her hand around Michael's upper arm and pointed her chin toward a bench.

"Yeah, that's him alright." Michael smiled. "That must be the elusive Gina with him."

"Ohhh, good! Let's go and meet his flavor of the month!"

"Now Fi, he's not that bad!" He glanced down at her and saw she was joking, but sometimes he wondered about her sense of humor, especially when it came to Sam.

"Oh, Michael, you know I didn't mean anything by it. Come on, let's go say hello."

They neared the couple and found them sharing a slushy. Sam held the cup, and they each had a plastic spoon. Out of the corner of his eye he saw them, then whispered something to the woman. She turned to look at them behind large sunglasses, an intent look on her face.

"Hey Mike, Fi." Sam looked down at the stroller and grinned at Kira. "Hey, sweetie pie! Are you still with them? I thought you'd get bored with these two by now!" Michael stopped the stroller in front of the couple, and Sam stuck his spoon into the slushy and reached out to tweak Kira's cheek. She giggled.

"Andrea and Kyle haven't come to get her yet," Fiona said. "We left a note on my door just in case they do stop by while we're gone."

Sam nodded. "Mike, Fi, this is Gina Caprioni. Gina, my friends, Michael Westen and Fiona Glenanne."

"Very nice to meet you," Gina said with a smile as she extended her hand and shook theirs. "Sam told me how you all were taking care of this precious little girl. I think that is so sweet."

"She needed our help, and we couldn't refuse." Michael said it as if it was just as simple as that.

Gina's smile widened. "Well, whatever the reason, I have to say you three look like a beautiful family."

Fiona gave Michael a glance. "Thank you, Gina."

"Well, we didn't really come over here to interrupt," Michael said. "Just wanted to meet you."

Gina nodded. "It's nice to meet Sam's friends. Now, when he talks about you I can picture you all in my head."

"Mike, are you two just going to hang onto Kira until her parents show up?"

"I'm not sure what else we can do, Sam. Paxson hasn't said anything, and if she wasn't okay with it, you know she'd send a social worker to Fi's place." Michael shook his head. "She's better off with us for the time being."

Sam looked up at his friend, astonished at the calm with which Michael was taking this. Sam remembered hearing how he reacted when Nate brought Charlie to the Westen house. He was completely lost and didn't even know how to hold him. Now, he stood confidently, his hands loosely grasping the stroller handle like a seasoned father. It was obvious to Sam what was going on: Mike was taking advantage of this time, preparing for the biggest mission of his life.

* * *

Kira screamed, waking both Michael and Fiona from a deep sleep. He sat up, and before Fiona could reach her he had his gun out, sweeping the room. A dim light from the parking lot filtered through the curtains, giving him just enough illumination to see that there was no intruder.

"Fi, what's wrong with her?" He tamed his shallow breath.

"I don't know. She's not wet. She shouldn't be hungry." Fiona turned on a lamp and sat on the edge of the bed with her. Kira stuck her fingers in her mouth and gnawed on them even as she cried. Fiona touched her forehead. "Michael, she feels warm. I think she's sick!"

"Now, wait a second. I seem to remember something in an article in that magazine." Michael stowed his gun in the night stand and hurried into the other room where he knew he'd last seen the parenting magazine. He returned, flipping through the pages. "Oh yeah, here it is." He turned it around so she could see the page.

Fiona read where his finger pointed. "She's teething?"

"Well, it's worth a shot to check. I mean, look at her, she's trying to chew her fingers off, she's drooling like crazy...here, let me see her." He took Kira out of her arms and sat closer to the light. Then he spoke to her calmly, softly, as if he were trying to coerce a suspect into giving up his gun. "Come on kiddo, open up. Let me see." He had to pull her hand away, which only caused her to cry more. She stuck it back in, and he pulled it away again. For such a little kid, she was strong. She screamed and kicked at his knee, but he ignored it. Laying her back against his arm, he pinned her right arm between her body and his, and he pulled her jaw down. "Look there, Fi on her top gum. There's a bump that's kind of white."

"Oh sweetie, it's your first tooth!" Fiona almost squealed in delight, and Michael stared at her. She quickly restrained herself. "I'll be right back. Madeline gave me a teether for her and told me to put it in the freezer. I'll get it."

Kira continued to cry, and with no idea what to do, Michael began to rock her in his arms. Between her crying and his inexperience, he did what he always did in situations where he'd lost all control: he followed instinct. He kept talking to her, trying to get her to focus on him and not the pain. "Shh, it's okay, Kira. Fiona's going to get something to make it feel better. It'll be okay."

"Here you go, let her gum on that." She handed him a rubberized ring that had a frozen liquid inside. It was hard but still flexible.

"That's cold," Michael said.

"Of course! It won't help if it's warm! Give it to her!" That was the closest she'd gotten to yelling at him since the baby came to stay with her.

"Okay, okay!" He pushed the ring into Kira's open mouth. Miraculously, she clamped down on it for a few seconds and probed it with her gums, but it was so cold, she spit it out again and started to cry for another round.

"Oh brother, that's not going to work." Michael snapped his fingers. "Fi, get that baby Tylenol. We feed her some of that, the pain goes down, and maybe she'll get some rest." Fiona hurried to the bathroom to get the medicine. Michael shifted the baby in his arms. "And maybe Fiona and I will get some more rest too, huh?" She continued to cry. Michael held onto the teether with his fingers, then took one finger and pressed it to her gum. For a few seconds, her face changed. She liked that.

"Here it is. Now, let me give it to her." Fiona dropped the medicine into Kira's mouth. The baby worked it over in her mouth and made a face, but it went down. "Good. She took it. I wonder how long before this stuff takes effect." She studied the side of the bottle.

"Fi, can you get me a cold washcloth?"

"Sure." She rushed back to the bathroom.

He heard water running. "Don't worry, Kira. We'll make this all better." He smiled at her. "All better, I promise!"

"Here, Michael. What are you going to do...seriously? You're not really putting that into her mouth?"

"It's cold, but not like the teether. See? It's working!"

Fiona stood with hands on hips, incredulous, as Kira settled down. When she started to whimper again, Michael moved the washcloth to a cold spot. Fiona said, "I don't think that's going to work for long."

"No, we have to figure out how to keep it cold, but not freezing. Wrap the teether in the washcloth. That's a lot to put in her mouth, but it's worth a try."

Eventually, they found a linen napkin wrapped around the teether worked just fine. By then, a combination of the activity, the pain, and the medication made Kira tired, and she fell asleep in Michael's arms. Both Fiona and Michael breathed a sigh of relief and went back to bed. Thankfully for them, she slept through the rest of the night.

"You know, it's awfully sweet that you're staying here with us." Fiona smiled at him as she put Kira down on the floor with her toys. "And last night, well, that was above and beyond."

"I'm learning a lot about this parenting stuff. And besides, I want to be here when Kyle and Andrea come back. Just in case."

"Just in case I decide to strangle them for abandoning their child?" Fiona asked, her head tilted and her hands clasped into fists. "It still upsets me that they did this!"

"I know. I just want to make sure everything goes smoothly." A knock on the front door got their attention. Michael turned toward it. "Fi, stay with Kira." He approached cautiously, looked through the sheers covering the glass from the inside, and his body relaxed. "It's Paxson."

"Wonder what she wants?"

Michael opened the door wide. "Detective Paxson, to what do we owe this surprise visit?"

"Mind if I come in?" She looked around past him and took in the apartment. "Nice place."

"Sure." He held out an arm and invited her in. A woman followed her. "I'm sorry, who...who is this?"

"Vanessa Holman. I'm with Social Services."

"Social Services?" Michael's eyebrow went up. Perhaps he had underestimated Paxson and her encouraging them to keep Kira. "I don't know why you had to get involved. We're just waiting for the Rollinses to come pick up their daughter."

Ms. Holman gave Michael a thin smile. "I'm sure you are, Mr..."

"Westen. This is Michael Westen, and Fiona Glenanne." Paxson introduced Fiona, who approached them with Kira in her arms, holding the baby tightly against her.

"Are you two married?"

"Does that matter?" Michael answered quickly and glanced at Fi.

"No." She looked uncomfortable for asking, but quickly recovered. "Well, I'll take the baby with me, and she'll be placed in foster care until her parents come to claim her."

"She's been doing fine with us for the past few days," Fiona protested. "Why can't we keep her? Surely the Rollinses will come here first, if they remember where they left her!"

The protectiveness in Fiona's voice surprised the woman, but she held her ground. "I understand, Miss Glenanne, but it really is best for the baby."

"Kira. Her name is Kira," Michael said with a stony expression. He didn't like the way the woman spoke, cold and professional. As a spy, he could understand when there were times to talk that way. But this was different. They were dealing with another human being, not an object. He watched as her eyes shifted around, examining the apartment. Either she was very concerned about the regulations, or she was hiding something. "Ms. Holman, are you sure there isn't anything we can do to keep Kira here? Papers we could fill out to be her foster parents..."

"No, I'm sorry, Mr. Westen. There's more to it than just filling out some forms. By the time you got through our program, the parents will probably have already picked her up." She held out her arms. "Please, let me have Kira."

Everyone looked at Fiona as she stood with the baby, her hand cupped over the little head, pressing her closely to her chest. Michael hadn't seen that haunted look in her eyes since they were in Ireland, not long after her sister Claire died. It was happening all over again. He knew she shouldn't have fallen so deeply in love with Kira, but she did, and now it was time to pay the price. He'd hoped they would have had at least a day to get used to the idea, but it wasn't meant to be.

"Fi," he spoke her name softly. "Fi, you have to let her take Kira."

"No, no. We haven't had time to say goodbye," Fiona mumbled.

"Is there any way you can let us have a little time," Michael pushed gently.

Ms. Holman shook her head and her voice trembled slightly as she replied. "I'm sorry, I need to take her now."

He crossed his arms, stared at her and asked, "Do you have some paperwork authorizing this pick up?" For some reason, his instincts told him to be wary of this woman. Or maybe it was just a need to be protective, for Fi and Kira's sake.

The woman looked up at Michael, her eyes full of fear. "Please, just let me have the baby, now."

Her desperate plea only made him more cautious, and he studied her. At his side, Fiona backed up a step as if she sensed danger. Paxson watched the drama unfolding, the look on her face showing she wasn't sure what to make of things. But suddenly, Michael knew. "Andrea. You're Andrea Rollins."

"No, I'm Vanessa Holden."

"Holman. Or Holden. Which is it?" Michael's eyes met hers, and he wouldn't let her look away. She wouldn't answer him, and he reached out and pulled at the silky dark brown hair that hung to her shoulders. The woman ducked and tried to get away, but he was too fast. The wig came off in his hand.

Paxson stood with mouth slightly agape. "H-how'd you know, Westen?"

"Something about her urgency didn't feel right." He smiled at the detective. "You work in the government long enough, you know that there are procedures for everything. This whole pick up was just too rushed, and there would have been paperwork for us to sign, no doubt."

"Please, I just want my baby back!" Andrea cried as she reached out toward Fiona.

Fiona turned to Michael as if she expected him to either intervene or give her an answer on what she should do. He said, "Why don't we all just have a seat and talk about this?"

Andrea sat on one end of the couch, Fiona with Kira on the other. Michael and Paxson each took chairs facing them, and he leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. "Andrea, where have you and Kyle been the past few days? Why did you drop Kira off here?"

The woman held herself tightly and rocked slightly as she answered. "We-we were being chased by these men. Kyle said they wanted something, something he didn't have. What they wanted was at the office. He said they would kill us if they caught us, so we ran. We found a car and someone had just left the keys in it. Stupid, huh?" She glanced at Michael and Paxson, then continued. "So we took it and drove around for awhile trying to figure out what to do with Kira. We didn't want her to get caught up in this. Then I remembered this lady from my book club. She lives in this complex, and...and I was in such a state, I was trying to remember her address. I had the right address, 1C." She smiled sheepishly. "Only I realize now I had the wrong building."

"So you thought you were leaving Kira at her apartment, not mine," Fiona said, trying to make sense of this story.

"Yes. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to inconvenience you." She met Fiona's eyes, but she could see it had been anything but trouble. Then she looked around the room and saw the toys, the stroller, and all the other things that were obviously brand new. "It looks like I found the right place anyway. Do you take care of other children, Miss Glenanne?"

"No. Michael and our friend Sam went out and bought most of this. Some of the other things Sam borrowed from a neighbor lady."

"Wow." Andrea's eyes began to fill with tears. "You did this for a strange baby? You could have taken her to the real Social Services..."

"It was too risky," Fiona interrupted. "We didn't want anything to happen to Kira. And when Harding's men discovered that she was here, we evacuated and took her to a safe house." Fiona smiled. "She couldn't have been in better hands all this time, Andrea. We love...loved her like she was our own."

"After everyone was rounded up, I recommended that they bring Kira back here, because I knew you would be coming back to get her," Paxson added. "I don't understand why you had to put on this disguise."

"Kyle was afraid that he would be implicated in the theft from Aerocorp. Mr. Westen, I swear that he had nothing to do with it! The last thing he'd want to do is risk his family for something like that, not to mention the fact that he would be betraying his country by stealing from the company."

"Apparently that didn't stop Rob Lennox," Fiona said with contempt in her voice.

"I know. I'm still in shock over that. Rob was a good guy. We hung out with his family!" She swiped at her eyes and sniffled. "He wanted Kyle to give him what he wanted, but Kyle wouldn't do it. Then he found out that Rob had the security settings changed on his door so he couldn't get into his own office. He knew then that we were in trouble. That's when we ran."

"Where is Kyle, Mrs. Rollins," Paxon asked.

"Is...is he in trouble?"

"Well, you two did steal a car." Paxson replied smartly. "And you left your baby unattended."

"Not exactly," Fiona said. "I was at home and Kira was out there for maybe a few seconds, half a minute, tops."

Paxson looked from Fiona to Andrea and back, and her eyes finally settled on Fiona. "Is that the story you'd swear to?"

"It's the truth." Fiona set her chin, while her eyes slid to Andrea and she smiled at her. "So there's only the issue of the car theft."

"Yes," Paxson said with narrowed eyes focused on Fiona, and then they turned to Andrea. "So, Mrs. Rollins, where is Kyle?"

"I don't know." She broke down into tears, and everyone sat in their places, unsure of what to do. After a few minutes, she settled down and accepted a box of tissues that Fiona got up to bring her. "Thank you." She blew her nose and swiped at it a few times before collecting herself. "He dropped me off at the station with this disguise and told me to get Kira. Then he said he would meet me in a couple hours at the marina." She sniffled. "I-I think he has a friend with a boat, and he was planning to have him take us out of the country."

Paxson asked, "Why would he want to do that? He came out of hiding, so obviously he knew that Harding, his men, and Lennox were all apprehended. It was safe."

"I know. Like I told you, he's scared that he'll be lumped in with them, so he thinks it's better if we just leave the country."

Paxson leaned forward and said, "No, it's best for him to stay here. He can serve as a witness, and if he agrees to testify, I'm sure the DA will ignore the auto theft charge. After it's over, if you two need protection, you'll get it." She met her eyes with a determined expression. "I guarantee it."

Andrea fought the urge to dissolve into tears again. "What time is it?"

"It's almost noon," Michael answered.

"I'm supposed to meet Kyle at one at the marina."

"I'll call Sam and see if he can meet us there." Michael stood and pulled out his phone. "Somehow I have this feeling we're going to need him. Jesse's out on a charter boat, otherwise I'd call him too."

"Do you think there'll be trouble," Andrea asked, but Michael had already left the room. She turned to Fiona. "Does he think something bad is going to happen?"

"We'd rather be safe than sorry," Fiona answered her. She scooted closer to Andrea and still held Kira, but when the baby looked at the woman without the wig, she beamed.

Andrea's face transformed, and she grinned as she held out her hands. "Hi, sweetpea! You wanna come to Mama?"

Kira wiggled in Fiona's grasp, so she handed her over to Andrea. It tore out a piece of her heart, but deep down she was glad that the girl's mother was safe and sound. She was where she belonged, and soon she would see her daddy, too. She tried to feel better about the whole thing by using that rationale, but it fell flat. She would miss Kira terribly. There was no getting around it.

"Sam will meet us there," Michael announced as he returned to the room. "He and Gina were having brunch nearby, so it'll be no problem."

"Is he prepared?" Fiona looked up at him.

"Oh yeah, no problem. We should probably go now, get there a little early and check things out." He motioned for Andrea to stand, and she got up with Kira firmly in her arms. "We've got a car seat in Fi's car. Paxson, do you want to follow us?"

"I've got your back, Westen."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Andrea rode in the back seat with Kira. They arrived at the marina and saw Sam casually strolling along the sidewalk with Gina. He saw them and waved. Gina said something to him, and whatever he said in reply led to an animated discussion. She stood with her hands on her hips, her lips pursed. Sam said something, she said something and threw her hands up, and she turned away. He tried to reach out to her, but she walked to the parking lot without looking back. Sam watched her go, his brow furrowed and shoulders slumped.

"Uhoh, looks like trouble in paradise," Michael muttered.

"I hope he didn't leave anything at her place. It's always so awkward for him to have to go get it later." Fiona sighed. Despite how she liked to pick on him occasionally, she really hated to see Sam go through this time and time again.

Michael said, "I hope they didn't get to the point of her giving him a car. Talk about awkward!" As they talked, the group met Sam on the sidewalk.

"Yeah, that was Gina. She wanted to help, but I told her she should go home. This could be dangerous." Sam said as he met them. "She gets really emotional when a kid is involved."

"I think we can all relate to that," Fiona said with a smile.

"So, what's up?"

"Kyle is around here somewhere," Michael replied. "Possibly trying to get a friend to take him and his family out of the country."

Sam looked past Michael and saw Andrea with the baby. He nodded at her. "You must be Andrea."

"Yes." She met his eyes with unease, but when Kira saw him and tried to squirm out of her arms, her look softened. She even smiled. "Looks like Kira knows you."

"Oh yeah, we're buddies, aren't we," Sam said with a grin as he took Kira's outstretched hand and placed a quick kiss on it as she curled it around his finger. "So, Mike, what's the plan?"

"We find Kyle and convince him that he doesn't have to run anymore. Paxson is working with the DA to drop all charges if Kyle testifies against Harding and Lennox."

"Sounds like a good deal. Top it off with witness protection and I don't know how he could refuse."

"First, we have to find him." Michael turned to Andrea. "Do you know this friend of his?"

"No," Andrea replied with a shake of her head. "I didn't even know he knew anyone with a boat." She glanced around the marina, scanning down the long pier in front of them.

"There are four piers here. Let's work in two teams. Andrea, you better stay here. Sam, you and Paxson go together. Fi and I will take the odd piers, you take the even."

Sam nodded. "Come on. Let's try the second pier." He and Paxson walked to the end, checking each boat on their left and right, and as they came back, they swept them again and met Michael and Fiona at the wide sidewalk that led to all the piers. "I take it you didn't find him."

"No. We've still got those two piers to cover," Fiona said as she and Michael headed for pier three.

Paxson and Sam were almost to the end of pier four when a man came out of the hold of a small boat and saw them. His eyes widened and his face took on an alarmed expression.

"Hey, it's okay," Sam said. "Are you Kyle Rollins?"

He looked at Sam with an expression of unease. "Who are you?"

"Kyle! It's okay!" Andrea approached him. "It's okay, honey, these people are trying to help us."

"Who are you," Kyle repeated as he stepped up onto the pier.

"My name's Sam. This is Detective Paxson. My friends, Mike and Fiona, are coming over here." He caught Michael's eye and waved him to the pier. He and Fi lengthened their strides. "We've been taking care of Kira while you were in hiding."

Kyle focused on his daughter and smiled. Kira grinned and reached for him, and he held out his arms. Andrea gave her to him, and he held Kira, swaying with her, kissing and muttering words of love. Kyle held her to his right side, and Andrea stepped up to his left. The man had his arms around both of them, enjoying an emotional reunion that made Sam feel like an unwanted outsider, so he took a couple of steps back to stand beside Paxson. He turned and saw that Michael and Fiona were about there. He also saw a flash come from the third story of a building nearby and heard the report of a rifle, followed quickly by a scream.

"Get down!" Paxson yelled.

Sam turned and saw Kyle crumble to the pier. He lost his grip on Kira as he went down and instinctively reached for where he'd been hit in the chest. Andrea went to the decking with him, in complete shock. Sam was just out of reach to catch Kira as she fell and hit the water. Without thinking, he dove in head first. Michael, Fiona and Paxson covered the couple, trying to protect them from more shots. Fortunately, Kira sank only a couple of feet and Sam plucked her out of the water easily. She came up crying and screaming.

"Mike! Grab her!" Sam held her above the water, kicking his legs to stay afloat, while Michael knelt down and picked her up.

"Need help, Sam?"

"Nope, I'm good. Just make sure Kira is okay!" He found a piling that had a ladder built onto it and climbed out of the water. With adrenaline pumping through his veins, he looked down to see Kira was okay, crying but safe in Andrea's arms again.

"It's a miracle she didn't take in any water," Fiona said with awe.

"Yeah," Sam agreed. "Our more immediate concern now is him." Kyle lay in a heap on the wooden pier, his blood staining it, and Michael knelt beside him and pressed the wound on his chest with his hands. Paxson got on her phone and dialed for help.

"Fi, Andrea," Sam said and waved them away as he moved in to help Michael.

Fiona spoke softly as she gently took Andrea by the shoulders and led her away. "Come on, let's stay back so they can help Kyle."

Andrea was too distraught to say anything. She nodded and held her crying daughter closer.

"Fi, you might want to take her to the shore." Michael advised her with a stern voice.

She knew that meant things were not good. Fiona nodded and led Andrea away. By the time they reached land, several police units, a fire truck, and an ambulance arrived, and a small group ran for the end of the pier. Fiona could barely see Michael and Sam in the mass of assistance that descended upon them.

Paxson met the officers that converged on the area. She addressed a Sergeant. "I want your team to check out that building and look for anyone with a rifle."

"Yes, ma'am." He ran to the other squad cars that showed up, and within moments five officers ran toward a five story building across the street.

The initial shock was wearing off, and Andrea clasped Kira to her as she lost control of her emotions. Fiona led her to a bench where she sat with her face buried in a blanket someone brought to keep Kira warm and dry. Fiona sat with her and kept her hand on Andrea's back, just so she knew that someone cared. All the while, she kept her eyes on the scene on the pier.

"Apparently, we didn't get all of Harding's men like we thought." Paxson spoke more to herself than anyone else.

Fiona's breath stopped in her throat. "Kyle's friend. Where was he? He didn't appear to be on the boat."

Paxon's brows knit. "I don't know. They've already searched the boat and Kyle was the only one on it."

Just then, a paramedic came to check on Andrea and the baby, so Fiona and the detective stepped away to talk. The first team of paramedics was transporting Kyle to the ambulance. He appeared to be alive, which gave them both a sense of relief. Michael and Sam followed behind, their hands and clothes bloodied, and Fiona watched as the two stopped at a cleaning station that was normally used for fish to wash off the blood.

"Are you thinking that this so-called friend was really working for Harding," Paxson asked Fiona.

"Not necessarily Harding. What if he was working with Lennox? If I were doing something risky and involving someone who may be less than cooperative, I might want a little insurance in case things went wrong."

"I see. Well, hopefully Kyle will be able to answer some questions later about who this man was, because right now it seems as if he's disappeared. If he slipped away to go set up in that building and then shoot him from there, he also had plenty of time to escape."

"He could have just waited until they were at sea and dumped them all off the side," Fiona suggested. "Unless they were only concerned about Kyle. Maybe the plan was to kill only him and let Andrea see what would happen to her if she said a word."

"You know, sometimes it's scary how you think, Fiona."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Michael said as he and Sam stepped into their circle.

One of the officers called on Paxson's radio. "Detective, we found a casing on the third floor. No shooter."

"Any sign of where the shooter went?"

"A person in the building says a guy with a rifle ran out into the alley and headed north. He tossed the weapon into a dumpster. We're checking that out right now."

"Good job. Keep me posted." She sighed deeply. "Well, that's all we've got, a spent casing, a missing rifle and a missing perp."

"If he's on foot, he couldn't have gone far," Michael said. "Sam and I could go looking for him."

"No, I've got enough manpower on it. You two look like you need to go home and change."

"Not a bad idea," Michael said as he glanced at Sam. Not only was his friend's clothing covered in blood spatters like his own, he was still damp from his little dip in the marina.

Sam asked, "What's going to happen to Andrea?"

Paxson replied as her gaze shifted to the woman. She was calmer now, but still clearly upset. "They'll get her and Kira checked out at the hospital, and then I'll drive her to a safe house. Nice work, by the way, picking Kira out of the water so fast."

"What can I say? Sometimes the training just kicks in without thinking." He shrugged. "So, if there's nothing else we can do, I'm gonna go, see if Gina's cooled down yet." Sam walked toward the parking lot, his path taking him past Andrea and Kira. He stopped and spoke to her, and Andrea hugged him. Then he caressed Kira's cheek and straightened, and he continued walking toward his car.

"Michael, I want to say goodbye to Kira before we go." Fiona stared at Kira and Andrea. "I think it's best..." She took a deep breath. "I think it's best if we do this now."

He knew that she was right. They could wait until she was settled somewhere safe, but prolonging the inevitable would only make it hurt more. Andrea stopped in front of Fiona and Michael, settling the decision for them. "Thank you," she said, her voice full of emotion. "Thank you for taking such good care of Kira. Thank you for helping us, and you and your friend for saving Kira and Kyle."

"You're welcome, Andrea."

"It was our pleasure," Fiona said with a smile as she reached out and touched the drying curls on Kira's head. "She's such a good little girl. We're going to...to miss her." Fiona blinked and held back the tears.

"I'm so thankful to have her, and Kyle. He's a good man. I wish I knew how he got tangled up in the middle of this." She nodded. "Goodbye, Fiona... Michael." She gave them each a quick hug.

"Goodbye, Andrea." Fiona swallowed a lump in her throat as she reached out one more time to caress Kira's head. "Goodbye, wee little one."

Michael and Fiona watched her leave with a police officer. Neither one moved until she was inside the cruiser and it pulled away. Then Michael heard a deep, sad sigh escape Fiona. He felt a big hole inside his chest, and he was certain she felt the same thing. Putting an arm gently around her, he said, "Let's go home, Fi."

* * *

He knew that Fiona was emotionally exhausted, so he drove her car back to the apartment. He parked, looked at her and asked, "Are you okay?"

"Fine." She blinked rapidly and escaped the vehicle.

Michael watched her pound the pavement to the door. He got out, locked the car, and followed behind. Her hands fumbled with the keys until she found the right one, opened the door, and hurried inside. He almost got the door slammed in his face. But he forgave her, because he knew her heart was breaking. It didn't matter that she'd done it to herself. He knew what it was like to fall in love with an asset; if he hadn't done it himself, he and Fiona wouldn't be together.

When he entered the apartment he heard the bedroom door close. Part of him wanted to respect her privacy, but the other half that hurt with her wanted to barge in, wrap her in his arms, and let her cry. It was dangerous, but Michael was never one to shy away from danger. He entered the room and found her curled up on the bed hugging a pillow, her body shuddering with sobs. "Aww, Fi." He whispered her name and came around behind her, settling around her like a security blanket. "I'm sorry." He didn't know what else to say, because nothing was adequate.

"Just hold me," she whispered through the tears.

He didn't know how long they stayed that way, but eventually she stilled and fell asleep. He changed his clothes, and while she slept he disassembled the portable crib and put it back into its case. All the other things he stacked in a corner of Fiona's living room. _The sooner these things are gone, the better. She doesn't need to have any reminders of Kira around._

"Hey, Sam. Do you have time to come by Fi's and pick up the stuff you borrowed from your neighbor?"

"Yeah, sure. I'll be right over."

It didn't take long for Sam to arrive looking as if the past few hours had never happened. When he came through the door, Michael asked, "How did thing go with Gina?"

"She's okay now. I just have to be a little more careful about what I tell her." He saw the things in the corner and asked, "You want to give all that stuff away, even the things you and I bought?"

"Well, I don't really want it around. We don't need it..."

"Yet." Sam finished with a smug expression.

Michael gave him a look. "Maybe. Anyway, we don't have a good place to store these things."

"No problem. I can put it in my storage space until you need it." He could understand Michael's need to spare Fiona, but he wasn't sure it was the best thing to do. "Maybe you better just hold off for awhile? Let Fi decide what she wants to do with the things that are yours. I'll take the rest back to my neighbor." He grabbed the crib carrier, stroller, and booster seat. "Can you get the rest of it, Mike?" He struggled to get a good grip without dropping anything.

"Yeah, sure. Wait, let me take something else." Michael took the stroller.

He and Sam took the things out to Sam's car, attempting to make as little noise as possible. But when the two returned to the apartment, Fiona stood in the living area with her arms crossed, glaring at them.

"Thought you'd just steal all this stuff away and spare me," she asked with an accusatory tone. "I'm not fragile, gentlemen. I can handle it."

"See, Mike? I told ya." Sam elbowed him. To Fiona he said, "I told him he might want to wait. Are you okay?"

"I don't really have any choice, do I?" She looked at the pile of things still left. "What were you planning on doing with all that?"

"Sam offered to let us keep it in his storage unit."

"Until you guys need it." He smiled at Fiona, and she gave him a tender smile back.

"Thanks, Sam." She gave the items one last look and blinked. "You can take it away and put it in storage. I'm fine." She turned away and retreated to the bedroom.

Sam turned his head and met Michael's eyes. "She's not fine."

"Don't worry. I'll take care of it."

The corner of Sam's mouth tipped up. "Could you at least wait until I'm gone?" He laughed at Michael's expression, then stepped forward to grab a bunch of things. "We'll put this stuff into the back seat and keep it separate from the other stuff I have to take back."

It took two trips to fill up the floor and back seat. Once the car was packed, Sam said goodbye and drove everything away. Michael watched from the courtyard gate. As he turned toward the apartment door, he saw Fiona standing at the sliding glass door leading to the bedroom. The curtain dropped down when she saw him looking, and it swayed from the movement. An ache formed in the pit of his stomach as he felt her pain.

* * *

Michael and Fiona met Sam and Jesse at Carlito's. They didn't have a new job on the burner: it was just a chance to hang out and relax. While they socialized, drank and nibbled on appetizers, Michael's phone rang.

"Hello." He listened to the caller and a slow smile crossed his face. "Thanks. I appreciate the news."

"What? What was that about?" Fiona asked.

"That was Detective Paxson. She wanted to let me know that Kyle is going to be okay. They caught the shooter, and it turned out to be the guy who said he would take them out of the country. Lennox gave him up as the shooter when he was spilling his guts about the whole fiasco."

"I talked with Paxson yesterday about this case," Sam said. "It's true that Kyle had nothing to do with the plan to steal Project Condor. Lennox tried to get him involved, but he wouldn't do it, so Harding sent his goons after the family. He swore they weren't out to kill, just scare them with the threat of death, so that Kyle would do what Lennox wanted. My guess is Lennox gave the orders to kill."

"Why didn't Lennox just get the stuff himself?" Fiona asked, puzzled.

"He needed a fall guy, and he tried to get Kyle into it just enough so that he would have everything to lose if he backed out. Lucky for him it never got to that point." Sam took a sip of his drink. "So now he's a star witness and the family is being held in protective custody somewhere. After the trial, they'll be shipped out with new lives and new identities."

"We'll never get to see Kira again," Fiona said softly and sucked on her straw.

"Unfortunately, yeah, you're right. Sorry, Fi."

"Hey, let's change the subject," Jesse suggested, and with a grin added, "What's this I hear about you guys?" He focused on Michael and Fiona.

"What? What did you hear about us?" Michael looked so innocent, and Fiona grinned and kicked him under the table.

"Yeah, we both heard that you guys are engaged," Sam said with a smirk. "So when were you gonna tell us? We had to hear it through the grapevine."

"Who..." Michael asked and turned to Fiona.

"Well, I told your mother. You know we talk about everything!"

"Sam, Jesse, I was going to tell you," Michael said with an apologetic look.

"Hey, no problem, Mikey...as long as you buy the next round!" Sam laughed. "It's about time, if you ask me. I just hope you don't make the engagement last as long as it took to get to this point!"

Michael would have told them as soon as he gave Fiona the ring, except he hadn't done that yet. It was currently in his pocket, and he felt around for it, found the small circle, and brought it out. "I was hoping Fi and I would have gotten here earlier than you guys so I could give this to her, but your timing was really bad." His smile turned into a grin as he turned to Fiona. "They're right, you've been waiting for this for a long time. I'm sorry for dragging my feet... and I promise this'll be a short engagement."

Fiona held out her left hand, her face glowing. "I'll forgive you, Michael. I don't really want to wait too much longer either. That's why I called your mom this morning before we came here. She and I are meeting this afternoon to talk wedding plans."

Sam and Jesse laughed at the shock on Michael's face. Sam slapped his hand on the table and said, "Whoo boy, Mikey, she doesn't waste any time! Better put that ring on her now before you find yourself putting another one there."

Michael slipped the ring onto her finger. It fit perfectly, just as he knew it would. Before he bought it, he snatched a ring from her jewelry box, the one she used when they pretended to be married, and used it to have the ring sized. Like every operation he undertook, he wanted it to be perfect. Too bad he couldn't always account for outside forces, in this case their two friends who enjoyed a little fun at their expense. Jesse offered up a toast to the newly officially engaged couple, wishing them the best of luck and many years of happiness.

"And a family of their own," Sam added with a smile aimed at Fiona. By the sparkle in her eyes, it was obvious that she appreciated the footnote.

"Yes, a family of our own." Michael's eyes were on Fiona's as he said it, and when his glass met hers, it was a promise, not just a toast.

_A/N: I haven't decided yet if this story will continue or if what happens next will be in a sequel. Keep watching!_


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